Grietje's Secret

Grietje's Secret

Suzanne Marsh

10 May, 1940 Rotterdam, Holland

The Luftwaffe planes began flying over Rotterdam early in the morning the made a deafening roar. My parents heard through the “neighborhood grapevine”, the Germans were invading Holland. My Father Johnnes Aidenkamp, ran out the door, what he saw made him tremble. He informed my Mother Adda, that he wanted her to keep my brother Cas and I down in the cellar while Rotterdam was being bomb. He said he had a meeting to go to and would return around five o'clock. He took his bicycle and rapidly began to peddle down the street. My Mother grabbed both of us and headed downstairs, the house shook and trembled as the bombs came closer. Mother had tears in her eyes as she held Cas and I. I was fourteen in 1940 my brother Cas was ten. I dared not ask my Mother where my Father went; I am not sure even she knew. The sounds of bombs and gunfire continued through out the day. The Germans demanded our surrender after Hitler had guaranteed out neutrality. Holland surrendered on 14 May, 1940. Things began to change rapidly. Ration cards were given out, my Jewish friends could no longer visit, that was difficult for me because Sanne Cohen was my very dearest friend. I was more afraid as time went on; we were told we must learn German. German soldiers from time to time would come to our school. They would ask questions in German to be sure the teachers were doing their jobs correctly. As time went on Jewish families from out neighborhood began to disappear.

My Father, spent a great deal of time in the cellar; we were not allowed down there when he was working. One afternoon, my Father came home early from work, he went down to the basement. We did not see him the rest of the day. The following day, Father disappeared for several hours. I dared not ask my Mother where he was doing or why. These were very dangerous times for all of Holland. The Gestapo were always skulking around, trying to keep track of who went in and out of our house. German soldiers were on every corner in Rotterdam. I began to wonder if Sanne were safe. I asked my Mother if I could walk over to her home, which was several blocks from our home. Mother's terse reply was:

“NO, under no circumstances are you to set foot out of this house without you brother, or

myself. Do you understand me Grietje?”

I only understood that my Mother was being mean; I did not understand at the time that if I were caught talking to a Jew I could be shot.

Pots, pans and dishes began to vanish from our kitchen. We had more food than our normal rations. Finally, one quiet afternoon my Father told the three of us:

“Adda, Cas and Grietje, Can you keep a secret? We are going to be hiding two Jewish girls whose parents have already been taken by the Gestapo. This is to be kept secret. I have built a hidden room in the basement where they will stay. Grietje, I believe you are friends with Sanne Cohen. She and her sister Hannah are going to be staying here in that room. You can share your school work

with her so she can keep up. I know this is a burden on us, but before Seth and Sarah

disappeared, they asked us to hide their daughters and keep them safe if at all possible.

I could not turn them down. I can not impress to strongly on the three of you this MUST

be our family secret. If I am caught it means one of the camps, as is the same with the

three of you. Grietje, Sanne and Hannah are in their room, I will show you how to

open the door to enter. Once I show you, you must keep this secret our lives depend on it.”

I followed my Father down the stairs, the cellar was was long and had several doors. He opened the door to the root cellar, then he showed me where the hidden latch was. It was ingenious, and yet very simple. We entered. There were Sanne and Hannah seated on their beds. I wondered how all of this had been done without the three of us even suspecting what was going on. Sanne, gave me a nod, indicating that we would speak later. I could not wait to hear how my Father had gotten them here without the Gestapo seeing him. I had no idea that any of us were suspects, I had more urgent matters for instance how safe was this going to be for our family. I loved Sanne like a sister but I was afraid.

Days turned into weeks then months; Sanne and I did our homework together as Hannah supervised. My Father, was involved with something that only he and Mother knew about, I was entrusted with one secret, that was enough. Sanne did eventually tell me how she and Hannah had arrived. My Father had brought them after dark, disguising them to look like workers. He took them in through the back door and down to the root cellar. I now understood why my Father had spent so much time in the cellar, he was preparing for Sanne and Hannah.

I remember the afternoon of 24 September 1943 so very clearly. My Father came home at noon. We gathered around the kitchen table as he began:

“Adda, you must take Cas and Grietje, go to my brother Jan's and stay there. Go now.”

My Mother knew that tone of voice, she hurried us out of the house and we headed for Uncle Jan's. Uncle Jan lived out in the country, so I thought perhaps that we were going there because there was more food. That was not the reason. Later that day the Gestapo arrived, they arrest my Father. He had been harboring two Jews. Father was sent to Auschwitz along with Sanne and Hannah. He went to the left, hard labor in the stone quarries. Hannah and Sanne went to the right to the gas chambers. That night that we arrived at Uncle Jan's saved our lives, how my Father knew, he never said. Uncle Jan told me years later, my Father was a member of the Dutch Resistance movement. He told me what my Father had said to him:

“No one is going to tell we Dutch what to do with our Jews!”

My Mother, Cas and I lived with Uncle Jan until after the end of World War II. Cas and I were adults when Uncle Jan finally told us the entire story. How my Father had come to him and told him what he was doing. That we were hiding two Jews. My Father returned a year after the end of World War II. He had been in an American hospital, since the Russians had no Doctors that could be spared. My Father told Cas and I that we had all done the right thing. He also sat me down and tried to carefully word that Sanne and Hannah would not be returning, they had gone to the gas. I cried until I could cry no longer.

We became the Aidenkamp family once again. It is finally safe for me to disclose my family secret. Can you also keep the secret?