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Rabbi Jona Glauber
The story of Rabbi Jona Glauber of Brooklyn, New York, originally from Hungary, whose wife and 8 children were brutally murdered by the Nazis, mirrors the Biblical story of Hanna and her sons. From the Memoirs: 1948. Rabbi J. Glauber is the head of the “Jeshieve” in Leiden, Holland and teaches about 15 boys. He originally came from Budapest, Hungary. When the Germans invaded this country in 1944, all Jews were deported. He and his family were sent to Auschwitz; his wife and 8 children (3 boys and 5 girls) from the age of 17 years down to 1 year were put to death. Rabbi J. Glauber stayed in Auschwitz…
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Rita the Angel
Rita Boijenk, was a Righteous Gentile living on the same street in the Hague, who assisted the Frankenhuis family during the war years by arranging hiding for 13 persons, and visitations between the family members offering emotional support. While the Frankenhuis family was incarcerated in the camps, she managed to elude her direct connection and was instrumental in helping save them from deportation to Auschwitz via the Jewish Council. She earned the title “Angel” because of her devotion in saving the lives of the Frankenhuis family. From the Memoirs: This is where Rita (Boijenk) lived. An upper floor apartment, in the Van Alkemadelaan. A number 33, a house nothing but…
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Captain Otto Kretschmer
Maurice Frankenhuis’ letter to Captain Otto Kretschmer reacting to his remarks upon the launching of the first new submarine since the end of World War II. October 24, 1961Capt. Otto KretschmarCommander of the Federal Navy’s ForcesBonn, Germany Dear Captain Kretschmar: In the October 22, 1961, edition of The New York Times, I read an article, beginning, “The Germans, who developed the submarine into a major weapon of war, launched today the first submarine they had built since 1945.” There was also a photograph of this submarine and the comment, “She is said to be as fast underwater as Hitler’s wartime U-boats were on the surface.” The article also read: “U-Boat…
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Get Out
Later in the history books, people will probably read that it was maybe a minority of the Germans who wanted war. But I want to tell these people: do not believe it. I know. Read my books, circulars, diaries. This is the real thing and – Maybe? – the historic books are fairy tales, a distortion of the facts in the years 1933…… And I should like to tell this to my people and their offspring. If there ever is a persecution again, when a minority is treated again as an inferior individual, it is the duty of every responsible person to… get out… clear out… And if it is…
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Going into Hiding
Rita, the good soul, the “Angel” as my mother calls her, stands in front of her house, knowing the time about which I would leave and accompanying mea little way on my road to lighten the heavy gait. “Here is something for the nerves” when she pushes a little bottle into my hand and dropping a few pills in one of my side-pockets.” When you enter the lodgings, you take a tablet.” How good it is at this moment to have a human being who has got pity on you, to relieve you from your pains and what is more, to hear her prophecies “that this spook will only last…
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Hitler’s Suite at Hotel Dreesen, Bad Godesberg
A visit to Bad Godesberg and interview with Fritz Dreesen On my way in Bonn, where I had the opportunity to speak to Chancellor Dr. Konrad Adenauer for a very short period, receiving his autographed photograph through the cordiality of his Secretary Ministerialdirigent Herr Selbach, I decided to go to Bad Godesberg/Rhein, to the Hotel Dreesen, where Chamberlain and Hitler signed the treaty which proved so fatal to the entire world. It was here that Chamberlain was fooled by Herr Hitler – “PEACE IN OUR TIME.” The owner of the Hotel, Fritz Dreesen, gave me permission to occupy the suite where Hitler stayed from 1926 on; the Hotel later became…
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Prince Louis Ferdinand
Three Hohenzollern, three S.A. Men! On March 1934 the German Ex-crown prince Wilhelm let himself be photographed at the castle Caecilian-Hof with both of his sons. At that time Hitler was in power for a good year. The ex-crown prince (middle) on this occasion was wearing the uniform of motor- S.A.- man, Prince Hubertus (left ) the uniform of “Sturmfuhrer ” (Com.commandant with the S. A.) Reserve I and prince Friedrich (right) that of ” Oberscharfuhrer ” of the Reserve I. The sons were holding a higher office (order) than their father. The picture was published of the son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the crown prince together with his 2…
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Winston Churchill
No sooner than one week after returning to Holland from concentration camp, Maurice Frankenhuis sent the following letter to Prime Minister Winston Churchill requesting he hand-write a letter and sign with his autograph, to replace the one he previously collected some 25 years prior. 24, Van der Wijckstr. The Hague, 20th July 1945. (Holland) To the Right Honourable Winston Churchill, Prime Minister,London. Sir,The undersigned has been a collector of autographs of all personalities relating to the war 1914/1918 and you were good enough to send me your autograph about 25 years ago. I possess a large collection of autographs of all personalities relating to the war 1914/1918 and during the…
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Exhibit of Hitler Medals
Maurice Frankenhuis collected medallic tributes of Adolf Hitler as important evidence within the scope of the historical narrative. His coin show exhibits of ‘Arch-Enemy No.1’ in the 1960’s drew the attention of onlookers, and he eagerly spent his time and energy speaking about the evils of Nazi Germany and the lessons of the Holocaust, educating people about the dictator who plunged the world into war and orchestrated the systematic extermination of the Jewish people and other minorities. His exhibit banners declared: “One killed is murder – Millions killed is statistics.” ‘This was not War – This was Murder’.
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Interview with Gemmeker at Westerbork
Maurice Frankenhuis spent the post-war years after the liberation researching and documenting the war. In 1948, he obtained permission to go back to the Westerbork camp in the Netherlands, and to interview its Commander, Albert Gemmeker, still being detained in prison prior to sentencing. Frankenhuis published notes from his five-hour interview together with many photographs taken while the camp was operating, and upon his return. It was published in English and Dutch.