Amersfoort, Holland, Sep 2013.
Notes
B-roll en route the 13th internationales literaturfestival berlin (13.ilb) working on a Miracles•Media reportage of the 7 Sep 2013 presentation by Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel (Belgium) ‘Finally Free after 70 years’.
Citation info : Amersfoort Transport • @1MEMO 20250917 • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • TakeNode 60cbd409-08aa-4edf-b9b6-1a3cf39e9ff6
The documentary ‘Westerbork Girl’ (2007), directed by Steffie van den Oord, tells the story of Hannelore Cahn (later Eisinger-Cahn), a Jewish woman imprisoned in Camp Westerbork for more than two years during World War II. She performed as a dancer in the camp revue, attracting the attention of many, including camp commander Gemmeker and Jewish camp policeman Hans Eisinger, member of the Jewish Order Service—also known as “the Jewish SS”.
Westerbork Girl (VPRO 2007)
Hannelore had earlier met actor and resistance fighter Rob de Vries, with whom she was close. Rob smuggled her out of Westerbork by disguising himself as a train stoker and taking her to Amsterdam, where she briefly went into hiding. Hans Eisinger manages to track her down and one week after her escape Hannelore voluntarily accompanies him back to the camp…possibly due to loneliness, Rob’s existing relationship, or pressure from the Order Service to prevent others being deported to Auschwitz. Shortly thereafter, Hannelore and Hans get married in Westerbork.
Hannelore survived the war and avoided punishment after her return. The film reconstructs her story through interviews, archival footage, and music, presenting it as one of survival, love, and the difficult choices faced under Nazi persecution.
Hannelore sings and is still intensely sung about by Louis de Wijze, who witnessed her escape and remembered the revue songs from Westerbork: Ich hab es bei Nacht den Sternen erzählt, Ich liebe Dich.
Powerful documentary—this story, with close-ups of this Westerbork Girl, that resonate with me. Beautiful surprise while researching the use of the Westerborkfilm. Review by Michel van der Burg , editor Settela.Com
Citation info : Westerbork Girl • 20250916 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com | ISSN 2949-9313 | URL https://settela.com/2025/09/16
Tuesday , November 19, 2013, Simon Gronowski arrives at Station Liège-Guillemins on his way to give a series of testimonies all day at the Saint Sépulcre school in Liège, Belgium. When he gets off on the platform, and teacher Philippe Renette and I – while filming – welcome him, Simon surprises us, showing me last Saturday’s news in the German national daily newspaper Die Welt (The World) at the front page of the weekly supplement Die Literarische Welt (The Literary World).
In the article ‘Feinde wie wir’ (Enemies like us) in the German newspaper Die Welt of November 16, 2013 (1), cultural journalist Felix Stephan reports on his conversation in Berlin with Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel, which took place after their presentation there at the 13th International Literature Festival Berlin (2) of their book (3,4) ‘Enfin libérés’ / ‘Eindelijk bevrijd’ (Finally liberated) — the story of their history as children of war and the special friendship since their first meeting a year earlier, in 2012 (5).
The lead of the story reads as follows (my translation):
A story of reconciliation: Belgians Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel were children during World War II: one a Jew whose family was murdered, the other the son of a committed Nazi. Decades later, they discover how close their lives were and send an emphatic message to Europe.
French, German, with English subtitles.
1. Feinde wie wir. Felix Stephan | Die Welt (Germany) Nov 16, 2013. URL https://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/literatur/article121955638/Freunde-wie-Brueder-Feinde-wie-wir.html
2. Finally Free after 70 years. Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel (Belgium). internationales literaturfestival berlin (13.ilb), Sep 7, 2013.
3. Ni victime, ni coupable, enfin libérés. French edition (2013) by Simon Gronowski, Koenraad Tinel, David Van Reybrouck. Renaissance du livres ISBN 978-2507051051
4. Eindelijk bevrijd – geen schuld, geen slachtoffer. Dutch edition (2013) by Simon Gronowski, Koenraad Tinel, David Van Reybrouck. Hannibal ISBN 978-9491376405 . Reissue (2021) 978-9464366204
5. Finally liberated after 70 years | 20130313 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com | Miracles•Media | URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/03/13/finally-liberated-fr/
6. Enemies like us • Miracles•Media • 20250915_1 • TakeNode | Still (frame 340) Simon Gronowski shows Die Literarische Welt at Station Liège-Guillemins, Nov 19, 2013 , with a portrait photo of Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel by Belgian photographer Dieter Telemans – https://www.dietertelemans.com
Citation info : News | Miracles Moment #5 | Miracles•Media | 20250915 | ISAN 0000-0007-36B4-0005-4-0000-0000-P | TakeNode 49f6c290-d00e-4969-9fec-fa1163517991
#Picardy #coast #cliff #chalk #falaise #streetart #VillaVerveine #InsideOut #carolinedahyot
Citation info : Villa Verveine Inside Out • Falaise #182 • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • @1MEMO 20250914 • TakeNode 48eab4a4-cacc-482f-b17a-fe9120a49f41
Scout and test sound recording (Olympus LS10 Line In, on the school system, with Patrick assisting), Institut St-Sépulcre school , Liège, Belgium, Nov 8, 2013.
Citation info : Scout Saint Sépulcre • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • @1MEMO 20250913 • TakeNode 7b2301f7-ca66-4572-8d02-0485d2ebcd5e
Portrait pillars of the Monument Foundation (Stiftung Denkmal) participation in the Berlin 2013 theme year ‘Destroyed Diversity’ (Zerstörte Vielfalt) at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, 7 Sep 2013, Berlin, Germany.
Here the portrait of Werner (1921-1942). Werner from Wedding (Berlin) was in love with his neighbor Dorothea. But he was Jewish. After the passage of the Nuremberg “Racial Laws” in the fall of 1935, relationships between Jews and “Aryans” were strictly forbidden. The two were cautious, but they were betrayed. The accusation: “racial defilement” (Rassenschande)! Werner spent 18 months in the Berlin-Tegel prison, then in “protective custody” in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He did not survive the camp (https://www.stiftung-denkmal.de/) .
#diversity #vielfalt #street #holocaust #memorial #Berlin #miraclesmedia #Werner
Citation info : Destroyed Diversity • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • @1MEMO 20250912 • TakeNode d4a404a6-33e3-48c2-8d01-cbaeea19d465
Still filming Sep 2013, Berlin, Germany.
#BTS #making #street #holocaust #memorial #Berlin #miraclesmedia
Citation info : Berlin Holocaust Memorial • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • @1MEMO 20250911 • TakeNode 050e0354-62a5-46d0-9aad-2d7815cc6867
