Angelica Roman

Escape From The List: Courage, Sacrifice, Survival

“But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.” –Miep Gies, author of Anne Frank Remembered and one of the helpers of the Secret Annex.

LEGAL BACKGROUND

It took the Nazi regime and their accomplices four and a half years to commit one

of the biggest atrocities the world has ever experienced. This all began with one treaty

that was passed and a demonic man’s motivation to wipe out the Jewish race. The Treaty

of Versailles was presented on May 7th, 1919 and held that the German nation had to

accept complete responsibility of initiating World War 1; this article of the treaty was

known as the War Guilt Clause. Germany would have to pay the war reparations and this

would lead to a drastic economic decline. This section of the treaty infuriated the German

nation and naturally, this treaty would give ammunition to the infamous Adolf Hitler to

execute malicious acts. Hitler theorized that the Jews were responsible for Germany’s

economic decline which included being blamed for the war and paying reparations. The

Jews were allegedly responsible because essentially, socialists were blamed for a large

amount of strife during the war on the home front, and with many socialist leaders within

Germany being Jewish, that allowed the two to be coupled together as a incrimination for

Germany’s defeat in WWI. Initially they experienced a large amount of success, however

as the fighting went on they found themselves in a compromising strategic position. No

better passage than from his own book, Mein, Kampf, better summarized his beliefs than

this: “Today it is not princes and princes’ mistresses who haggle and bargain over state

borders; it is the inexorable Jew who struggles for his domination over the nations. No

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nation can remove this hand from its throat except by the sword” (Hitler 651). Hitler

believed that the Jews were robbing the nation. By giving the Jews the blame he created a

scapegoat.

On January 30th, 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed the German chancellor and the

following years after that a period of darkness had begun. It all began with a couple of

laws that in the years that followed that forbade Jews from everyday life activities.

On January 20th, 1942 during the Wannsee Conference the German government

discussed implementation of the Final Solution. The official various protocols the Nazis

used to execute there sinister plan were the use of gas chambers, segregation, and forced

surgical sterilization. Millions of Jews were sent to concentration camps. Life at the

concentration camps was gruesome. Jews were forced to hard physical labor, given

miniscule rations, and were forced to sleep in compressed conditions. Many

concentration camps also practiced medicalization on the Jews without their consent.

Doctor Mengele, also identified as the Angel of death, was given absolute freedom to

conduct medical experiments. These experiments were notoriously callous. In some cases

he injected dye into the eyeballs of Jews to observe if he could alternate the color. He

would also contaminate the Jews with gruesome diseases to track their progress. The

Nazis would torture the prisoners and murder many. This tragedy would later be

identified as the Holocaust.

This dark movement would transport millions of European Jews to their

inevitable deaths. Specifically, Elly’s parents would be part of that faction of individuals

who lost their lives strictly because of hate.

 

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ELLY’S ESCAPE OFF THE LIST

Elly’s ancestral family originated from Spain after Queen Isabella issued The Alhambra

Decree in 1492. Since their immigration to the Netherlands Elly’s family had blossomed.

Elly’s family, before the war struck Amsterdam, held great positions in their society and

led prosperous lives. Elly went to Jewish Lyceum then pulled out of school in 1942. She

knew the extraordinary Anne Frank there. Anne was "that German girl." The street

where Anne Frank actually lived is just six blocks away from the Rodrigues residence in

southern Amsterdam.

Naturally, as the Nazis occupied Holland this family would have to begin their

rough journey of survival. Their journey all began with the help of a Dutch pharmacist

who by the end of the war would have hid 37 Jewish individuals. A Dutch upholsterer

named Bert Bochove. Bert lived with his wife and two children in a large apartment over

his shop, in a town note far from Amsterdam. Ironically, he initially intended to only help

his wife’s best friend whose parents had already been deported. Brt did not help all of his

people for religious reasons, but because it was the “right” thing to do. According to him,

“I didn’t grow up with the idea you needed “Christ” to make it”. In gruesome conditions,

Elly’s family hid in the attic above Bert’s store with another family. Elly had to stay for

11 months on a mattress 8 hours a day. They would have to stay perfectly still, silent, and

would even have to slip bedpans underneath them to answer nature’s call.

One of the biggest fears of a family in hiding was the anxiety of being betrayed by

their neighbors. If Jews were suspected the “address would get hot.”( Stewart) After 11

months of hiding the Rodrigues family had to leave in the dead of night, and so an

ambulance picked them up. Reportedly, Nazis never checked ambulances because they

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hated disease. As Elly stood on the curb she took whiffs of the night air and got “high off

the air”(qtd. Stewart). She had not breathed in fresh air in 11 months.

Unlike Otto who tried to keep the family together, Elly’s father like Solomon the

King split the family in half. He had to decide whom he could give his children to. He

checked his list of numbers and found Margriet Boogards, an unmarried home economics

teacher. There is a saying that describes these heroes who went to immeasurable extents

to help others who were in need. Yad Vasheem Memorial refers these helpers as

righteous among the nations but Elly felt Margriet Boogaards who took her in and

Margriet’s sister who took Elly’s brother in were the most righteous gentiles.

LIFE WITH MARGRIET

“Jesus was a Jew. If he were walking the streets of Amsterdam the Nazis would be

looking for him too. I might not be able to save my Jesus, but I will save your Elly”” –

Margriet Boogaards to Elly’s father.

The cover story was that Elly was Margriet’s niece, Elly van Tol. Elly was twelve

years old when she began staying with Margriet. When Elly and her father had parted he

told his children to do what they can to survive. Her father, Abraham gave financial

support, and through the Dutch underground he gave money to help support Elly.

Margriet sewed clothing for Elly, took the curtains down and made them into clothing for

Elly until the money got there. When Elly’s parents were captured and the money

stopped coming, Elly was afraid that Margriet would put her out on the streets. When she

voiced her fears to Margriet, her caretaker replied: "If I have half a sandwich I will cut it

in quarters for you." Elly had to live as a Christian, learn the New Testament and all the

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church hymns. She had to take a crash course in Christianity so she could continue her

education and not give away her secret.

 

THE THREE MIRACLES

There were three miracles that happened when Elly was with Margriet. As Elly

was in bible study in school restating the Hebew prophets she made a pronunciation

mistake. Margriet was sent to the Deans office. “Your jig is up,” the Dean exclaimed.

Margriet thought: “I’m doomed.” Miraculously however, the dean replied: “Your secret

is safe with me.” Shockingly, the kids didn’t say anything to anyone. However Margriet

and Elly decided to hide out in the countryside for 6 weeks. Margriet took a leave of

absence. Elly had forged papers as Elly van Tol they were on a train out of town where

officers were on the train. Elly grabbed Margriet’s hand and the officer looked at them

and said, “OK” then went on his way; that was the second miracle.

The third miracle was when a American soldier parachuted out of his plane near

Margriet’s house. The Nazis came looking for him, thought he was nearby, knocked on

the door, and Elly opened the door. Margriet rushed to the door, told Elly to “Get away”

and pushed Elly back. The Nazi asked, “Do you know anything about an American

paratrooper?” Margriet replied, “I don’t know anything. I am a woman alone, get away

and don’t bother me again.” The Nazis then left.

Elly, with her time spent with Margriet, had experienced miracle after miracle.

Darkness finally had its end in 1945. On May 8th 1945, after the Battle of Berlin the

Allies accepted Germany’s surrender. This was a week after Adolf Hitler, the face of

Germany, had committed suicide. When the war ended and Elly became free she had

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found her faith in Christianity. Elly never let go of her Jewish roots. She felt however,

that Christianity made sense to her. Her family had disagreed with her decision in

following Christianity and did not want anything to do with her. Her own family turned

away from her, including her aunts and uncles; everyone except Margriet. At this point of

time there was no moral obligation for Margriet to take in Elly. But she found a love in

Elly and felt as if she were her own. As Elly was approaching fourteen, Holland gave

Elly to Margriet legally. Margriet wanted to adopt her but Margriet had no husband so

she received Guardianship of Minor Child to Foster Mother. There was no adoption

because there was not a nuclear family.

Elly was able to live her life, find love, and make a family of her own that she

would share her extraordinary story with. After the war a group of individuals who went

through similar war experiences held a conference and Elly wanted to go. Ernest, her

future spouse was going to speak about his helper. Margriet said she couldnt go since

Elly was 16 at the time. She defied Margriet’s wishes and went because Margriet

reluctantly let her go. That's where they met. Ernest saw Margriet and his eyes locked on

her. He was 27. They were engaged 1948 after "one year of courtship all under the

watchful eye of Margriet"(qtd. Stewart). They got married, lived in small town in Dutch

town Hurweenen. That is where their first child was born and where their lives began.

In the Holocaust families were torn apart and millions of people’s faith of seeing

the end of the war dissipated as their prayers were not answered. Many were affected

even after surviving the heinous acts of the Nazis. Darkness for many sheathed the only

weapon that could restrain this movement from carrying on…resistance. Anne Frank

once wrote, “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness”.

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Helpers such as Margriet or as I refer to them, resistance groups, although not always

making an immediate change, created on impact to society. Evil never prevails in the land

where there is love and understanding. The Nazi movement had no chance in prevailing

because of individuals such as Bert, Margriet, and her sister who was a candlelight that

could not be burned. They were symbols of compassion and pure truth.

“It would seem that the implications of the Holocaust have been forgotten or

ignored as the living memories have begun to fade away. Even as the last generation of

survivors begins to draw its final breaths, humanity is committing similar atrocities as

those seen in Nazi Germany before and during the Second World War” (Lewis).

Therefore, let us not forget what cruelties have been perpetrated by hate such as the 1994

Rwandan Genocide and the recent Orlando shooting directed towards the LBGT

community. We remember by showcasing these extraordinary stories of the survivors.

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