The Angel of Belsen, part two.
- Feb 28
- 2 min read
How did 46 little Dutch children come to be abandoned in the dark at Bergen Belsen one fateful night? It happened this way…
In the spring of 1940, a flourishing diamond trade had existed in Amsterdam for hundreds of years. What a prize for the Nazi occupiers who planned to take over and become diamond traders themselves! There are some necessities, however, in such a trade. A source of diamonds is required, and at the time, that source was primarily South Africa. And that, of course, requires international contacts and international trade. Most obviously, skilled diamond workers are needed.
The diamond trade in Amsterdam was largely Jewish; the owners and managers and workers couldn’t just be killed or deported because the whole operation would collapse. What to do? The Nazis offered Sperren, exemptions from deportation, for 800 diamond workers. These were sold at exorbitant prices, of course, but critically the "Diamond Sperre" protected not only the workers but their families as well.
The majority of diamond workers, unable to obtain the exemption, were deported in 1942. In January of 1943, the original list was cut in half, the exemption revoked, and 400 families deported. The remaining 400 families were transferred to Westerbork in summer 1943 through 1944. The Nazi’s grand plan for a diamond industry was faltering because they couldn’t obtain raw stones internationally, but they were not quite ready to give up yet.
At Westerbork, and later at Bergen Belsen, the remaining 400 families were relatively privileged – kept together, better fed, and the workers’ hands were protected from harsh labor just in case the diamond industry could be resurrected. Ultimately, however, the Nazis abandoned the scheme, and so these lives became worthless. The fathers went first, deported to hard labor on December 4, 1944. The following day, the mothers were torn from their children and deported to Beendorf to work in underground salt mines.
And that left this gang of kids, now entirely alone. What to do with them? They could just be loaded on a truck and dumped in the dark at Bergen Belsen – they would soon starve or freeze to death, and the problem would be solved. Simple enough.
But there was someone in a nearby barracks who would hear that truck pull up and hear the children’s cries… someone who imagined for just a moment that it might be her little lost boy crying… someone who had been wondering why God had saved her.
(If you missed part one of Luba’s story, scroll back one post. Next time, part three, what liberation looked like for Luba and the children.)
