Transit Camp Westerbork
From July 1st, 1942 onwards, the camp had become the Jewsih Transit Camp Westerbork and was used as the point of departure, a total of 93 trains to Ausschwitz, Sosibor, Therensienstadt and Bergen-Belsen.
The intention was to make the camp operate like every other town, pretending to be a save haven. Creating the illusion that the other camps were a safe haven as well. The Nazi's were very deceptive!
The residents could take courses or play sports, Even shopping was possible. The camp had its own currency, which good be used in the Lagerwarenhaus (camp shop) and the Lagerkantine (camp canteen).There was an exchange office, where you could exchange your last regular money for bills used in Camp Westerbork. On the Tuesday nights there were shows, concerts and plays in the registration barrack.
Children
Like home, the children Camp Westerbork had to go to school. Children between the ages of 1 and 6 years went to the day care. The other children under the age of 15 years old, were required to go to school. As such, the youngest camp residents lived as if everything was completely normal during the day. Since teachers could be transported every week, education too, was depending on incoming and outgoing transports.
Medical care
Unique at Camp Westerbork was the medical caree. With so many Jews being surgeons, doctors or dentists and a healthcare job being one of the most wanted jobs in the camp, it was easy to find the best staff possible. At one point, the hospital counted 1,725 beds, 120 doctors and 1000 staff members.
Camp Commander Gemmeker
SS-Oberstrutmfuhrer Albert Konrad Gemmeker started as camp commander in October 1942. Previous commanders did not meet the requirements the Nazi's set for leading Camp Westerbork. They wanted to deport the Jews as quickly and quietly, which led to much commotion and resistance in the camp. Gemmeker turned out to be far more skilled at the executing the deportations and seemed to be a real gentleman who treated the Jews correctly. His most important job was to submit the right number of Jews to be departed every week.
Transports
From Camp Westerbork, 93 trains departed in the direction of the camps in Eastern Europe. On July 15th and 16th, 1942, the first prisoners were deported to Auschwitz, 2,030 Jewish men, woman and children.
During the first months, the trains departed two time per week. In 1943, however, Tuesdy became the day of transport. It was announced that for every barrack who would be deported. If you heard your name, you knew what you had to do: take your possessions in the same suitcase, backpack or bag you had on you when arriving in Westerbork, and get on the train.
This lasted until September 13 of 1944. On that day, the final train with 279 people left for Bergen-Belsen. The transport included 77 children taken caught while hiding from the Nazi's from their hiding addresses.
Persecution Sinti and Roma
On May 14th, 1944, the German occupier sent a telegram to the Dutch police forces in the Netherlands with the task to execute a central arrest of all persons residing in the Netherlands that bear the characteristics "gypsy". All Sinti and Roma families had to be brought to Camp Westerbork. In Westerbork it became clear that the Dutch police tooke "gypsi to broadly. Around 200 people did not appear to be Sinti or Roma,but a caravan of dweller. They were releasd shortly after their arrival. Over 50 Sinti and Roma carried passports of a neutral or allied country, theu to were allowed to leave the camp.
on May 19th, 1944, 245 Sinti and Roma were deported to Auschwitz-Brikena from Camp Westerbork. One of them was Settela Steinbach, world famous due to the pictures taken of her on that day in the train carriage opening. Settella was killed in the gas chambers of Aushwitz-Brikenau on August 3th, 1944.
of the 245 Sinti and Roma who were deported from Camp Westerbork, only 31 survived the war.
Liberation
On April 12th, 1945, the Canadian army liberated 876 Jewish prisoners in Camp Westerbork. After crying out "The Tommie are here!", everyone run out of the barraks to welcome the liberation army. May jumped on the top of the tanks and drove on the Boulevard de Miseres in victory. The official liberation of the Netherlands was on May 5th, 1945 and this was celebrated by the camp residents in Gemmmeker's villa . For as long as the war in the Netherland lasted, these 876 Jews had to remain in the camp. Not only wre the allies still fighting the Nazi's, the high risk of contagious diseases also made them have to stay. After a medical exam and the Canadians made sure there were no collaborators among them, they Jews were free to go.
The total number of people that were deported from the Netherlands,
Between 1942 and 1945, 107,000 Jews were deported from the Netherlands. Most of them to the concentration camps in Eastern Europe. In , in addition 245 Sinti and Roma and dozens of resistance fighters were deported. Only 5,000 of them returned.