us-005578-irn723253-irn511419
is or was included in: us-005578-irn723253
has record set type: Item
record resource extent: folder 1
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/843
identifier: irn511419
has or had some members with language: nld
type: RecordSet
title: Maud Dahme letter
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn723253-irn511419/acquisitions/1
history: Maud Peper (now Dahme) was the oldest daughter of Hartog Jacob Henry Peper and Lilli Eschwege Peper. She was born on January 24, 1936 in Amersfoort, Netherlands where her father and grandfather ran a restaurant at the train station. Maud's sister Rita was born on February 23, 1938. The family resided in Amersfoort until 1942. Because Hartog Peper was active in the Dutch Red Cross, the family was unable to flee Holland. When the Germans took over and banned all Jewish children from attending public school, Maud transferred to the Jewish community kindergarten where her mother taught. In July 1942, the Germans went to the Orthodox synagogue to which the Peper family belonged and recorded the names of all of the members. They then sent letters to each family ordering them to appear at a railroad station at a certain time with only one suitcase. The Pepers decided not to comply and instead contacted Christian friends who found hiding places for the girls. Hartog brought his daughters to the home of Jan and Nel Kanis (members of the Dutch underground). Mr. Kanis awoke Maud and Rita during the night and then took them through the woods to the next town to catch a train to Oldebroek to bring them to the house where they would spend the next several years. They had to travel at night, on foot, through the woods and under the cover of darkness so that they would not be recognized. The girls lived with Mr. and Mrs. Hendrik and Jacobje Flier Spronk from August 1942 until 1944 pretending to be their nieces whose own house had been destroyed during the bombing. One day, however, when the couple had guests visiting, Maud proudly declared that she wore a yellow star and knew how to write her name. This was very dangerous because she had just given away her identity. After that, her caretakers explained to her that her name and religion had been changed. Maud became"Margj" and Rita became"Rik". One Sunday, the Spronks took the girls with them to visit Mrs. Spronk's sister, and they…
has or had holder: us-005578
scope and content: The collection consists of a letter written by"Margje and Rika Spronk" the false identities of Maud Dahme (née Peper) and her sister Rita Peper used while in hiding in the Netherlands, to their parents who were also in hiding in a different unknown location. Maud Dahme was able to dictate the letter to someone and then traced over it in pen. She wrote about her wishes to be free and mentioned her reading lessons with her Jewish kindergarten teacher, also in hiding.
history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn723253-irn511419/alternateIDs/1