Amsterdam Oud-Zuid , North Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Etty Hillesum

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 12, 2023

1. Etty Hillesum Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Esther (Etty) Hillesum (1914-1943)

De Joodse Etty Hillesum wordt op 15 januari 1914 in Middelburg geboren. Tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog woont ze in Amsterdam waar ze in haar dagboek schrijft over de haat, de liefde, het lijden en haar wens om kroniekschrijfster van haar tijd te worden. In juli 1942 werkt Etty voor de Joodse Raad. Na twee weken laat ze zich overplaatsen naar doorgangskamp Westerbork om op de afdeling 'Sociale Verzorging Doortrekkenden' haar lotgenoten bij te staan. Op 7 september 1943 wordt ze met haar ouders en broer naar Auschwitz gedeporteerd en vermoord. Drie maanden eerder geeft Etty haar dagboeken aan een vriendin met het verzoek deze aan schrijver Klaas Smelik te overhandigen. Mocht zij de oorlog niet overleven, kan hij voor publicatie zorgen. In 1981 verscheen een eerste publicatie van het dagboek onder de titel 'Het verstoorde leven'. Met haar nagelaten teksten geeft Etty inzicht in de verschrikkingen van de Sjoa en hoe zij, ondanks alles, in staat was het goede in de mens te blijven zien.

English translation:

The Jewish Etty Hillesum was

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born on January 15, 1914 in Middelburg. During the Second World War she lived in Amsterdam where she wrote in her diary about the hatred, love, suffering and her wish to become a chronicler of her time. In July 1942 Etty worked for the Jewish Council. After two weeks, she was transferred to transit camp Westerbork to assist her fellow sufferers in the department of 'Social Care for People in Transit'. On September 7, 1943, she and her parents and brother were deported to Auschwitz and murdered. Three months earlier, Etty had given her diaries to a friend with the request to hand them over to writer Klaas Smelik. If she did not survive the war, then he could arrange for their publication. The first publication of the diary appeared in 1981 under the title 'Het verstoorde leven' (“The Disturbed Life”). With the texts that she left behind, Etty provides insight into the horrors of the Shoah and how, despite everything, she was able to continue to see the good in people.

Erected 2023 by Geef Straten Een Gezicht.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, World II • Women. In addition, it is included in the Give Streets a Face / Geef Straten Een Gezicht, the Heroes of the Dutch Resistance (GSEG), and the The Holocaust series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is September 7, 1943.

Location.

Etty Hillesum Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 12, 2023

2. Etty Hillesum Marker - wide view

52° 21.139′ N, 4° 52.216′ E. Marker is in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland (North Holland). It is in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid. Memorial is at the intersection of Emmastraat and Willem Witsenstraat, on the right when traveling south on Emmastraat. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland 1075 HW, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Adriaen Valerius (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Joannes Josephus Viotta (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Jacob Obrecht (approx. half a kilometer away); Giovanni Palestrina (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Johannes Bernardus van Bree (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); a different marker also named Etty Hillesum (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); a different marker also named Etty Hillesum (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); Meststallen, later Werfgebouw (manure storage shed, later storage facility) (approx. 0.8 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amsterdam.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. Etty Hillesum (Wikipedia).

Overview: Esther (Etty) Hillesum (15 January 1914 – 30 November 1943) was the Dutch author of confessional letters and diaries which describe both her religious awakening and the persecutions of Jewish people in Amsterdam during the German occupation. In 1943,
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she was deported and murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp.

(Submitted on March 12, 2023.)

2. Etty Hillesum Brug geopend (YouTube, 3 min., in Dutch). A short video of the marker dedication on January 23, 2023. (Submitted on March 19, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 107 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 12, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.