Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Skating Tour) Thursday 22 januari 1942 with extremely low temperatures, ranging from -33 Celcius at sunrise to -15 later that the day. Despite the German occupation, a record number of participants showed up at the start, 95% of whom managed to reach the finish. After the race, the Leeuwarden Diaconessen Hospital saw an influx of cold-related injuries. Many skaters suffered frostbite, including frostbitten eyes, ears, toes, hands, and even genitals. Some had to undergo amputations of their toes. Three tour riders later died in the hospital as a result of their frostbite injuries. (1). Nazi-approved dutch cinema news ‘Tobis Nieuws’.
Film source: Dutch newsreel by Polygoon (producer) in collaboration with the German Tobis Film for the Nazi controlled cinema news ‘Tobis Nieuws’ (Feb 1942). Courtesy of Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Open Images).
Citation info : Elfstedentocht 1942 Eleven Cities Skating Tour • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • @1MEMO 20260110 • TakeNode c7238e03-68b0-452e-8d16-12d0f0adab74
Film source: Dutch newsreel by Polygoon (producer) in collaboration with the German Tobis Film for the Nazi controlled cinema news ‘Tobis Nieuws’ (Feb 1942). Courtesy of Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Open Images).
Citation info : Ski Holland Extreme Winter 1942 • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • @1MEMO 20260109 • TakeNode 31868145-2645-41de-a3e2-7154313ff6ad
Sunrise October 2, 2025, in the Levantine Sea ( East Mediterranean Sea ) the Israeli army (IDF) intercepts the little sailing vessel ‘All In’ sailing to Gaza in a convoy of around 40 small ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying symbolic humanitarian aid, on a civilian maritime mission to break the Gaza blockade and open a humanitarian corridor for sustained aid deliveries. Images from Global Sumud Flotilla.
‘All In’ . Still from Global Gaza Flotilla • @1MEMO 20251003
Mikeno in Gaza waters
Mikeno, another small vessel in the convoy, reported “We see land” on the radio around 9 nautical miles from the coast in Gaza waters, where it stopped before being intercepted (see Map).
Moments from a vibrant testimony and jazz by Simon Gronowski at the Saint-Sépulcre school in Liège, Belgium, 19 november 2013.
The Institut Saint-Sépulcre (now S2J School Center) hosted 3 sessions with Simon Gronowski that day for different age groups, including adults in the evening — and, in between, an intimate jazz moment was created in the surreal ambience of the school’s chapel.
Thanks to friends Philippe Renette (co-producer), Simon Gronowski, Koenraad Tinel (Photo Dieter Telemans featured in Die Welt , Saturday 16th Nov 2013 – Feinde wie wir, by Felix Stephan) and Patrick (assisting with sound), staff Marc Belleflamme and André Hérin, and teachers Christine Marchal, Ingrid Lothe, others, and the Saint-Sépulcre students. Special thanks to the students Hélène, Charline, Tristan, Kimberley, Elodie, Farah, Esther, Estelle, Laetitia, Catherine, Tracy, and Pauline for making possible the unique events that month in 2013 for this Miracles film project.
Filmed by Michel van der Burg at the Station Liège-Guillemins, and Institut Saint-Sépulcre , Liège, Belgium, 19 november 2013.
French talks with English subtitles in open captions (OC).
Miracles Docs #8 :
The first French edition was published in 2022 as Simon Stompin’ at the Saint Sépulcre | Miracles•Media | 20221119 | ISAN 0000-0007-329C-0008-C-0000-0001-0 .
The here presented, second, edition is titled ‘Saint Sepulcre Moments’ and has open captions (burned in) showing English subtitles.
Citation info : Saint Sepulcre Moments | Miracles Docs #8 | Miracles•Media | 20250918 | ISAN 0000-0007-329C-0008-C-0000-0000-1 | TakeNode 3cb541dc-0806-4a0e-bafb-7cbf4387f6ca
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).
Unlikely Friends • Feinde Wie Wir
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.
Enemies like us • Miracles•Media • 20250915_1 • TakeNode d6238cf6-2521-42fe-9323-a90d521a94f6
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
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
