Essay On Westerbork

915 Words4 Pages

Westerbork Westerbork a transit camp, which was in use during the Holocaust is located in the northeastern part of the Netherlands near a town named Westerbork. The transit camp was opened by Dutch authorities in the summer of 1939, in order to get Jewish refugees from Germany. The first foreigners or refugees to come to Westerbork came on October 9, 1939. Foreigners were chosen if they 've entered illegally to the Netherlands. About 750 refugees came to Westerbork when Germany invaded Holland. One of the best known teenager to come to Westerbork was Anne Frank and her family. Westerbork was known for transporting Jews, Slavs, Homosexuals, Jehovah 's Witness, and so on to concentration camps or death camps. On July 14, 1942 the SS ordered that all Jews had to be examined and checked if they were eligible to work in concentration camps. On July 15, 1942 about 1,135 Jews were selected to work. German police, assisted by an SS company, and police, military from the Dutch took over Westerbork. The camp commander was given to Erich Deppner. Westerbork 's job or role as a transit camp was to start deportation in the east, which meant that every Tuesday a deportation train came. Westerbork transported the prisoners to the most …show more content…

In conclusion, Westerbork had something called a "double life" which meant some Jews or inmates stayed for a short period of time and others had a " permanent " place to live. The "permanent" inmates had a population of 2,000 in Westerbork. However, most of the "permanent" inmates were eventually sent to concentration or death camps. Transports stopped on September 1944. On April 1945 allied troops approached Westerbork and the Germans abandoned Westerbork. On April 12,1945 about 876 inmates were rescued from Westerbork. 876 rescued inmates were lucky to escape a transportation and not become a act of Genocide. Westerbork has a memorial that consists a piece of a railroad track that is twisted up and points to