Flight to the Netherlands
After the events of that night, my parents decided that it would be
safer to send me and my brother Herbert to live in the Netherlands,
even if this meant them be separated from us. They stated planning
things and as Goch was very close to the border they were soon able to
implement their plans. Before we realized what was happening, our
mother had packed two small suitcases for each of us and told us
repeatedly that we must not be afraid. She told us that she would come
to collect us as soon as possible so that we could all travel together
to England.
Our father brought u to the railway station and helped us on to the train. He said that we would soon be reunited. As the train drew out of the station we waved and waved until we could no longer see them. Then we turned to each other, at home Herbert had always argued with me but now he just sat next to me holding my hand tightly. I did not want to cry – and nearly managed not to - but as I spoke Shema tears ran down my cheeks .
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| Station Goch about 1908 From this station in Goch Margot, Herbert and their Cousin Erich Cohen left Goch for the Netherlands. (B1) |
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Herzogenstraße 8 |
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Each child had only one small |
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v.l.n.r.: |
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When Jacob and Elise Cohen decided to send their
children to safety in the Netherlands, Jacobs brother Abraham decided
that his son Eric should leave Germany as well. Eric joined his cousins
in Goch. A friend of Jacob, Gerhard Vondermans and his daughter,
intended to take them over the border. The first attempt didn´t
sucdeed,
because customs police stopped them. They tried again later and at the
end of december they reached Nijmegen (NL), where a cousin of Jacob,
Jaap de Wijze took them in for a short time. From there they were taken
to the Jewish Refugee Orphange Soesterberg near Utrecht on the 29th of
December 1938. |
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