Stumbling Stones Dorpstraat 26

Stolpersteine / Stumbling Stones remember:

* Elisabeth van Dijk, born 1859, deported 13 April 1943 from Westerbork, murdered 16 April 1943 Sobibor.
* Hester de Vries-van Dijk, born 1854, deported 13 April 1943 from Westerbork, murdered 16 April 1943 Sobibor.
* Benjamin van Dijk, born 1892, deported 25 May 1943 from Westerbork, murdered 28 May 1943 Sobibor.
* Betje van Dijk-de Vries, born 1891, deported 25 May 1943 from Westerbork, murdered 28 May 1943 Sobibor.
* Hetty van Dijk, born 1928, deported 25 May 1943 from Westerbork, murdered 28 May 1943 Sobibor.
* Sally van Dijk, born 1934, deported 25 May 1943 from Westerbork, murdered 28 May 1943 Sobibor.

Three generations lived in this household. Elisabeth Van Dijk was an unmarried aunt of Benjamin van Dijk. Hester de Vries-van Dijk was Betje van Dijk-de Vries’s mother. Both older women were in their 80s. They were the first in this household to be killed. They were deported on a freight train along with 1,202 other persons on the 7th transport from Westerbork to the Sobibor extermination camp. There were no survivors.

Then a month later, Benjamin van Dijk, his wife Betje de Vries, and their children Hetty (age 14) and Sally (age 8) were all deported on the 13th Westerbork-Sobibor transport, a freight train carrying 2,862 persons. The 4 van Dijk’s were murdered 3 days later. Again, there were no survivors from this transport.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

Borne was the first town in the Netherlands in which Stolpersteine were placed -- on 29 November 2007.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Anne Palmer
• Photos: Peter Mulder
• Joods Monument
• De Streekwijzer
• Yad Vashem Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names
• Yad Vashem: Transports to Extinction
• Stolpersteine.eu