us-005578-irn593668-irn594798
type: RecordSet
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 701
has or had subject: 843
has record set type: Item
history: Arie Torner (1918-1991) was born in Wloclawek, Poland, to Malka (neé Olewski,?-1940) and Chaim Torner (?-1940). He grew up with a large family, including five brothers and one sister. At some point while Arie was growing up, the family moved from Poland to the Netherlands. They were all living together in Rotterdam when the German blitzkrieg against the Netherlands occurred. Following the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, England and France declared war on Germany. The Netherlands planned to stay neutral in this war, as they had done in World War I. Adolf Hitler, Germany’s chancellor, even assured the Dutch government he would respect their neutrality. However, on May 10, 1940, Hitler broke his promise of nonaggression, and the German army invaded the Netherlands. On May 14, the German Luftwaffe bombed the city of Rotterdam. At the time of the bombings, Arie was on the opposite side of town from his family at a youth party. When he returned home the next morning, he found that both of his parents and all six of his siblings had been killed. That same day the Netherlands capitulated and the German forces occupied the nation. The death of his family and the German occupation pushed Arie to join the emerging underground Dutch resistance movement. He was often sent to infiltrate the German lines because he spoke German fluently. While behind German lines, he would steal papers detailing which areas they were planning to raid to collect Jews. While working for the resistance Arie spent months at a time away from home, sleeping and bathing outside. In October 1941, Arie was arrested with two other resistance fighters in Milaczewskie Mlyny, Poland. They were captured by the Ordnungspolizei or order police, also known as the Grune Polizei, or green police. Arie was transported to the Jewish ghetto of Kowale Panskie, or Kolonie Heidemühle, in German-occupied Poland. Arie continued working for the resistance while detained within the ghetto. One day, he was for…
history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
identifier: irn594798
is or was included in: us-005578-irn593668
record resource extent: box oversize folder 1 1
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Contains documents, testimonies, photographs, and other materials concerning the Holocaust experiences of Arie Torner, son of Chaim and Malka Torner, who was born in Wloclawek, Poland, on November 18, 1918.
title: Arie Torner collection