An extraordinary, posthumously published book recalls the horrors of Nazi occupation and the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
When Nazi officers arrived at the home of 15-year-old Hannah Pick-Goslar, she had her suitcase ready. The Goslars had already narrowly survived one razzia, the name for the systematic roundup of Jews in occupied Amsterdam. After taking the family to a theatre-turned-deportation centre, officials had looked at their papers and, seeing that Pick-Goslar’s father and grandfather were members of the Jewish Council, released them. But this time, on 20 June 1943, there were no such privileges.
The Nazis had sealed off their neighbourhood, blocking roads and stationing soldiers on every bridge. Early in the morning, loudspeakers blared in the streets, telling Jewish residents to prepare for departure. Then a member of the green police, the wing of the German army tasked with policing civilians, banged on the Goslars’ door and told them: “You have 20 minutes to pack your things.”
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