May 5, 2025 marked 80 years since Canadian troops liberated Holland from the Nazis
Written by my friend Maria van der Velden
Yesterday marked 80 years since Canadian troops liberated Holland from the Nazis. My mother’s family lived in Bakel, Brabant at the time, running a combination cafe/pub/bakery and it’s depicted in the first photo. Cafe de Kroon (largely covered by the tree in front) was a large enough building to accommodate both my family’s business and serve as their living quarters, and when family friend Isaac Cohen (that’s him, the Dutch-Jewish soldier standing between my mum on the left and my Tante Jo on the right) asked Oma and Opa if they’d shelter his children during the inevitable slaughter he could see coming, Oma responded that since she already had 13 kids, 2 more wouldn’t make any difference – so, yes, they would. That’s little Veronica, peeking out at my Ome Har (Uncle Harry) in the third photo.
Throughout the war, there were 31 people living in the family home – 15 of my family, 2 little Jewish girls, and 14 Nazi soldiers who either didn’t realize or didn’t care that the enemy was right under their noses. In fact, my uncles used to chuckle at Nazi obliviousness as they watched them gallop through the house with Veronica and her sister riding high on their shoulders. Oma, meanwhile, had to launder and darn Nazi clothing and clean Nazi rooms. She served meals in 3 shifts each day with the help of her children.
In the end, Isaac and his wife were exterminated, while Veronica and her sister (whose name, sadly, has been lost to us) survived. I guess my family was in danger, but throughout all this, not a single villager spilled the beans to German authorities. But I’m guessing that many in the village of Bakel were sheltering Jews of their own.
