Westerbork was established in 1939 as a camp for Jewish refugees from Germany. In the wake of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, it came to serve as a transit camp from which over 100,000 Jews, resistance fighters, Sinti and Roma were deported to the Nazi extermination camps. Only 5,000 of them survived. After the war, Westerbork acquired yet another function as an internment camp for alleged Nazi collaborators. The complex history and memory of the site is made accessible here through the stories of two Jewish victims of Westerbork: Hans Margules and Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef.
Listening to their testimonies and engaging with their stories allows for a greater understanding of the history and meaning of Westerbork and to prepare a visit to the memorial. Questions and suggested tasks support a dialog with the interview films in the classroom. Additional material, a time-line and a glossary provide support in contextualizing two unique biographies.
The 102.000 stones
Installation remembering the 102.000 Holocaust victims deported from Westerbork (Memorial Center Westerbork)
Interview with Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef, 2005 (Interview archive "Zwangsarbeit 1939-1945")
Westerbork survivor Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef describes her experiences in a 36-minute biographical short film, based on a 6-hour-interview. The Dutch interview has Dutch and English subtitles.
Letter by Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef, 1945 (Memorial Center Westerbork)
In 1945, Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef wrote this to her mother. Various sources contextualize the interviews in the learning environment.
Screenshot of Learning Environment with Short Biography
The earning environment contains additional information as this short biography of Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef.
Interview with Hans Margules, 2010 (Memorial Center Westerbork)
Westerbork survivor Hans Margules describes his experiences in a 32-minute biographical short film, based on a 1-hour-interview. The German interview has German and English subtitles.
Hans Margules aliens' passport (Memorial Center Westerbork)
This official document for the "alien" Hans Margules was delivered by the local council of Westerbork in 1940. In this learning environment, various primary sources contextualize the survivor interviews.
Interactive Editor in the Learning Environment
The learning environment provides an interactive editor for working on different topics brought up in the survivor interviews with the additional material and quotes from the film. Work results can be saved and printed or presented in class-room.
Additional material about Hans Margules in the learning environment
Additional photos, documents, info texts etc. contextualize the survivor interviews and help in working on suggested topics.
Ronnie Goldstein-van Cleef, 1940 (Joods Historisch Museum Amsterdam)
Additional photos, documents, info texts etc. contextualize the survivor interviews and help in working on suggested topics.
Drawing by Hans Margules (Memorial Center Westerbork)
Additional photos, documents, info texts etc. contextualize the survivor interviews and help in working on suggested topics.