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One-way Ticket from Westerbork
Westerbork, the Nazi transit camp in the north of occupied the Netherlands, is unlike any other camp in WWII. This is a unique story of the lives and fates of over 105,000 Jews who went through Westerbork, on their way to concentration camps in eastern Europe during the Holocaust.
The camp was overseen by Albert Gemmeker, a commander who duped thousands into boarding the trains to take them to their deaths. He was so impressed with his own work that he had it filmed. Westerbork had one of the largest hospitals in Europe, a dental practice, numerous workshops producing furniture and even toy elephants. It had its own narrow-gauge railway and farm, a theatre, a church and even the “Best Cabaret in Europe”, to entertain Adolf Eichmann.
One-Way Ticket from Westerbork relates the human stories held within those trains, presented for the reader to reflect upon. This is not an historical tome but the author's reflection on what happened to people who had just became numbers, and an attempt to restore their identity.
The camp was overseen by Albert Gemmeker, a commander who duped thousands into boarding the trains to take them to their deaths. He was so impressed with his own work that he had it filmed. Westerbork had one of the largest hospitals in Europe, a dental practice, numerous workshops producing furniture and even toy elephants. It had its own narrow-gauge railway and farm, a theatre, a church and even the “Best Cabaret in Europe”, to entertain Adolf Eichmann.
One-Way Ticket from Westerbork relates the human stories held within those trains, presented for the reader to reflect upon. This is not an historical tome but the author's reflection on what happened to people who had just became numbers, and an attempt to restore their identity.
460 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2021
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May 21, 2021
Jonathan Gardiner – One-Way Ticket from Westerbork – Reviewed 5/20/21 – Read 5/14-17/21
One-Way Ticket from Westerbork, the story of the Jewish extermination actions of Hitler’s Demons!
The Westerbork camp was originally established in 1939 by the Dutch before the German invasion of the Netherlands. It began as a refugee camp for German Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi persecution. Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands in May 1940. Then the Nazis took over the camp setting it up as a transit camp for captured Jewish people. Unlike the more infamous death camps in Eastern Europe, Westerbork was a “humane” camp. Prisoners were housed in terribly crowded barracks, and there was no escape from the continuous hustle and bustle, but no prisoners were beaten or worked to death here.
The third and last commandant of Westerbork, SS-Obersturmführer Albert Konrad Gemmeker was responsible for the composition of the list of names for the weekly transport. The exact number to be included for each transport was passed on to him by a sub-division of the Sicherheitspolizei. Uniquely, in 1944 Gemmeker ordered the German Jewish photographer Rudolf Breslauer to film daily life in the camp. The documentary was never completed but Breslauer did shoot over ninety minutes of the film. The Westerbork camp hospital was the largest and one of the best in Holland, well-staffed and well equipped, with patients receiving the best care possible. Contradicting the fact, that these same patients had all been earmarked for extermination.
Once a week, on a Tuesday morning, a train with cattle cars filled with over one thousand Jewish prisoners left Westerbork for the annihilation camps in the east. Some victims were in their eighties, others were just a few months old. When the last train departed in September 1944, the Nazis had achieved their aim: the once-thriving community of Dutch Jewry had been annihilated. Read the accounts that many had left, diaries, letters, word of mouth, and many other accounts of Westerbork that are hardly ever associated with the monstrous acts of the Nazi Monsters!
What did I like? When you read an account of someone’s death it leaves a hole in your heart, at least it does in mine. But to think about over 100,000 people that were led to believe that they would have the chance to survive the war, only to board a once-a-week train heading to death. Not even considering, the inhuman way that they were treated on that same train, no food, no privacy, loaded like cattle with no light or way to sit down! How can anyone smile and say welcome aboard, knowing that they were all going to be killed? Only a true Madman, with no feelings, could do this! But, as we read this account, we learn about the man that did just that, once a week, for years!
What will you like? This is the most in-depth version that I have read about this little-known camp and its activities. How one maniac was in charge and was so filled with himself, that he even commission a film featuring, you got it, himself, running the camp. Learn about the camp activities and events put on by inmates that were actors, playwriters, songwriters, directors, singers, and musicians. Hear the numbers, the accounts from survivors, and the unbelievable end of these monsters. You know even the name of monsters is too good for the atrocities that the Nazis leveled at the Jewish race! The hole in my heart was enlarged with this narrative. I hope that by the world learning about these horrible things, it will never allow something like this to happen again to ANYONE!
• ASIN: B08P9RZ38S
• Publisher: Amsterdam Publishers
• Publication Date: 1/27/2021
• File Size: 4326 KB
• Print Length: 392 pages
• Genre: Jewish Biographies, Jewish History, Jewish Holocaust History
One-Way Ticket from Westerbork, the story of the Jewish extermination actions of Hitler’s Demons!
The Westerbork camp was originally established in 1939 by the Dutch before the German invasion of the Netherlands. It began as a refugee camp for German Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi persecution. Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Netherlands in May 1940. Then the Nazis took over the camp setting it up as a transit camp for captured Jewish people. Unlike the more infamous death camps in Eastern Europe, Westerbork was a “humane” camp. Prisoners were housed in terribly crowded barracks, and there was no escape from the continuous hustle and bustle, but no prisoners were beaten or worked to death here.
The third and last commandant of Westerbork, SS-Obersturmführer Albert Konrad Gemmeker was responsible for the composition of the list of names for the weekly transport. The exact number to be included for each transport was passed on to him by a sub-division of the Sicherheitspolizei. Uniquely, in 1944 Gemmeker ordered the German Jewish photographer Rudolf Breslauer to film daily life in the camp. The documentary was never completed but Breslauer did shoot over ninety minutes of the film. The Westerbork camp hospital was the largest and one of the best in Holland, well-staffed and well equipped, with patients receiving the best care possible. Contradicting the fact, that these same patients had all been earmarked for extermination.
Once a week, on a Tuesday morning, a train with cattle cars filled with over one thousand Jewish prisoners left Westerbork for the annihilation camps in the east. Some victims were in their eighties, others were just a few months old. When the last train departed in September 1944, the Nazis had achieved their aim: the once-thriving community of Dutch Jewry had been annihilated. Read the accounts that many had left, diaries, letters, word of mouth, and many other accounts of Westerbork that are hardly ever associated with the monstrous acts of the Nazi Monsters!
What did I like? When you read an account of someone’s death it leaves a hole in your heart, at least it does in mine. But to think about over 100,000 people that were led to believe that they would have the chance to survive the war, only to board a once-a-week train heading to death. Not even considering, the inhuman way that they were treated on that same train, no food, no privacy, loaded like cattle with no light or way to sit down! How can anyone smile and say welcome aboard, knowing that they were all going to be killed? Only a true Madman, with no feelings, could do this! But, as we read this account, we learn about the man that did just that, once a week, for years!
What will you like? This is the most in-depth version that I have read about this little-known camp and its activities. How one maniac was in charge and was so filled with himself, that he even commission a film featuring, you got it, himself, running the camp. Learn about the camp activities and events put on by inmates that were actors, playwriters, songwriters, directors, singers, and musicians. Hear the numbers, the accounts from survivors, and the unbelievable end of these monsters. You know even the name of monsters is too good for the atrocities that the Nazis leveled at the Jewish race! The hole in my heart was enlarged with this narrative. I hope that by the world learning about these horrible things, it will never allow something like this to happen again to ANYONE!
• ASIN: B08P9RZ38S
• Publisher: Amsterdam Publishers
• Publication Date: 1/27/2021
• File Size: 4326 KB
• Print Length: 392 pages
• Genre: Jewish Biographies, Jewish History, Jewish Holocaust History
June 18, 2024
Tough slog!!
I am in the middle of this book and have stopped to write this review:
I have so many problems with this book, and I wish I did not because the story is so important. The research is new and the author tries to make the individual victims more than numbers on a casualty report. I respect that effort a lot.
Unfortunately--
This book badly, badly needs an editor. It is organized strangely, with a strict adherence to chronology that doesn't allow the author to make connections between larger events. The point of focus is so narrow that once the victims leave the place of Westerbork Camp, nothing further is said of them. Other locations and individuals are hardly described-- like the Cosel Camp or, randomly, Heinrich Himmler's wife (?). Others are name-dropped with no explanation at all, with the reader expected to already know about them.
Additionally, there's a lot of "show vs tell" writing in here, much of which is repetitive and could be better illuminated by discussing specific events. Instead, we get "He smiled an evil smile"-- with no explanation of why the author knows that. The casual, almost challenging tone of the writing also jerks the reader out of the storyline abruptly, and for little reason-- we are probably likely to agree that Nazis are bad already, and don't need a lecture about it in the middle of a paragraph. Yet I'm constantly sidetracked into editorializing, which should be properly saved for the summation of the work, in the last chapters.
The frankly strange writing choices make me wonder if this book has been translated from Dutch, or perhaps compiled from shorter serialized articles. It would explain some of the disconnect I am encountering here.
And as a side note, it would be great if this book had a photo insert. As readers are less likely to have familiarity with the subjects of the book, having a visual aspect would be very beneficial.
I am in the middle of this book and have stopped to write this review:
I have so many problems with this book, and I wish I did not because the story is so important. The research is new and the author tries to make the individual victims more than numbers on a casualty report. I respect that effort a lot.
Unfortunately--
This book badly, badly needs an editor. It is organized strangely, with a strict adherence to chronology that doesn't allow the author to make connections between larger events. The point of focus is so narrow that once the victims leave the place of Westerbork Camp, nothing further is said of them. Other locations and individuals are hardly described-- like the Cosel Camp or, randomly, Heinrich Himmler's wife (?). Others are name-dropped with no explanation at all, with the reader expected to already know about them.
Additionally, there's a lot of "show vs tell" writing in here, much of which is repetitive and could be better illuminated by discussing specific events. Instead, we get "He smiled an evil smile"-- with no explanation of why the author knows that. The casual, almost challenging tone of the writing also jerks the reader out of the storyline abruptly, and for little reason-- we are probably likely to agree that Nazis are bad already, and don't need a lecture about it in the middle of a paragraph. Yet I'm constantly sidetracked into editorializing, which should be properly saved for the summation of the work, in the last chapters.
The frankly strange writing choices make me wonder if this book has been translated from Dutch, or perhaps compiled from shorter serialized articles. It would explain some of the disconnect I am encountering here.
And as a side note, it would be great if this book had a photo insert. As readers are less likely to have familiarity with the subjects of the book, having a visual aspect would be very beneficial.
May 7, 2021
I have read many many books on the Holocaust and this was one of the best. While it’s not really a novel in the usual sense, it is captivating with personal stories of the people affected and those who persecuted them. I was astounded by the actual confirmed numbers, and found myself bewildered and angry that many Nazis were not prosecuted and got away with little or no punishment. The author did a great job of accurate and confounding research. Worth the read.
December 15, 2023
Over 100,000 people were shipped from the Dutch transit camp, Westerbork, to their deaths. Gardiner delves deep beyond the numbers to show the people - babies, women, men forced on to cattle cars day after day so the Nazis met their quotas for extermination. Many Nazis - monsters cloaked in banality - went on to lead normal lives long after those they led to murder had perished.
Sobering, disturbing, powerful - read this book!
Sobering, disturbing, powerful - read this book!
October 18, 2024
A Thorough History
Gardiner provides an incredibly detailed account of life in Westerbork, with a primary focus on the system for transporting Jews and others to the death camps. It’s clear he did extensive research. At times the writing stumbles and the book really could have used an editor, but for those who are interested in this area of Holocaust history it’s well worth the read.
Gardiner provides an incredibly detailed account of life in Westerbork, with a primary focus on the system for transporting Jews and others to the death camps. It’s clear he did extensive research. At times the writing stumbles and the book really could have used an editor, but for those who are interested in this area of Holocaust history it’s well worth the read.
February 14, 2025
One-Way Ticket from Westerbork, yalnızca 104.100 sayısıyla sınırlı kalmayarak, Nazi işgali altındaki Hollanda'da bulunan Westerbork transit kampından geçen insanları derinlemesine anlatıyor. Bu insanlar, daha doğuda bulunan ölüm kamplarına gönderilmek üzere yiyecek, şiddet ve terörle dolu bir yaşamla karşı karşıya kaldılar. Gardiner, bu süreçte hayatını kaybeden erkeklerden, kadınlardan, çocuklardan ve bebeklerden bahsediyor ve insanların bu durumun ne denli dehşet verici olduğunu anlamalarına yardımcı oluyor. Aynı zamanda, insanları ölüm yolları boyunca takip edenlerin bu olayların ne kadarının farkında olduğuna dair yaygın yanlış anlamayı da çürütebiliyor.
Kamp komutanı Gemmeker'in portresi, adamın kayıtsız bir şekilde yaptığı işlerin dehşetiyle okuyucuyu sarsıyor. Gemmeker, kampı bir model haline getirirken, ulaşım kotasını doldurmak için bir saatlik bebekleri bile kullanmaktan çekinmiyor. Gardiner, kampın mahkumlarının kaderini - 2.197 kişinin toplama ve ölüm kamplarından sağ kurtulduğunu - kaydederken, onların Naziler tarafından esir alınanların kaderini de detaylandırıyor.
Bazı insanlar bu Nazi kadın ve erkeklerini, sıradan insanlardan farklı, delirmiş canavarlar olarak kolayca dışlayabilir, ancak bu mümkün değil. Onların sıradanlığı, gerçekten dehşet verici bir durumu ortaya çıkarıyor. Gardiner, savaştan sonraki dönemde yargılanmış ve idam edilmiş veya hapiste kalmış Nazilerin, bağışlananların ve dünyanın dört bir yanında saklanarak normal bir yaşam sürmeye devam edenlerin hikayelerini sunuyor.
One-Way Ticket to Westerbork, okuyucunun zihninde uzun süre yer ediyor.
Kamp komutanı Gemmeker'in portresi, adamın kayıtsız bir şekilde yaptığı işlerin dehşetiyle okuyucuyu sarsıyor. Gemmeker, kampı bir model haline getirirken, ulaşım kotasını doldurmak için bir saatlik bebekleri bile kullanmaktan çekinmiyor. Gardiner, kampın mahkumlarının kaderini - 2.197 kişinin toplama ve ölüm kamplarından sağ kurtulduğunu - kaydederken, onların Naziler tarafından esir alınanların kaderini de detaylandırıyor.
Bazı insanlar bu Nazi kadın ve erkeklerini, sıradan insanlardan farklı, delirmiş canavarlar olarak kolayca dışlayabilir, ancak bu mümkün değil. Onların sıradanlığı, gerçekten dehşet verici bir durumu ortaya çıkarıyor. Gardiner, savaştan sonraki dönemde yargılanmış ve idam edilmiş veya hapiste kalmış Nazilerin, bağışlananların ve dünyanın dört bir yanında saklanarak normal bir yaşam sürmeye devam edenlerin hikayelerini sunuyor.
One-Way Ticket to Westerbork, okuyucunun zihninde uzun süre yer ediyor.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews