Etty Hillesum
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Ester "Etty" Hillesum (January 14, 1914 in Hilversum, The Netherlands—November 30, 1943 in Auschwitz, Poland) was a young Jewish woman who kept a diary during World War II.
Etty was born to a Dutch father and mother of Jewish Russian descent. She spent her early youth with her parents and two brothers in the Dutch towns of Middelburg and Hilversum.
In 1924, she and her family moved to Deventer, where her father lectured in classical literature and later acquired a position as headmaster. In 1932 she began law studies in Amsterdam, earning her degree. Because of her maternal roots, she also studied Slavic languages, as well as psychology. Knowledge was admired in her family and she is said to have cut back on food in order to buy books.
In March 1941, nearly a year after the beginning of the German occupation, she began a diary and in July 1942 she volunteered to work at Westerbork concentration camp to help the Jews interned there. She was not interned there herself though, and she traveled between the place and Amsterdam. Etty Hillesum was permitted to travel freely as she was a member of the Dutch Jewish council, her primary reason for aiding Jews. While working there she wrote many letters and entries in her diary.
In October 1942 she stopped writing in her diary. Some months later her travel permits were withdrawn and both she, her family and those she tried to help were summarily interned in the camp. In September 7 1943 Etty Hillesum, her family and some 900 other prisoners were transported to Auschwitz. She was to die there later in the same year.
Etty's diary and most of her letters were saved and published after the war. Her letters to friends and family deal mostly with her views on the treatment of Jews, her experiences in Westerbork and everyday life for a Jewish girl in the occupied country.
Her diary deals more with her personal development and how she experienced God. Her views on the Jewish faith and the events of World War II are considered unique and unconventional.
A monument to her is located in Deventer, on the riverfront, and the local secondary school is named after her. There is also a modest museum dedicated to her.
Quotes
- March 15 1941. "Even if there is only one decent German, they would deserve to be protected from the barbarian rabble and for that one German's sake one should not pour out one's hatred for the entire people."
- April 30 1942. "Never resign, never flee. Better to cope with it all, to suffer. It's not so bad but never, ever resignation."
- June 17 1942. "If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well."
- October 13 1942. "One should want to be a balm on many wounds."
Writings
- Etty: The Letters and Diaries of Etty Hillesum, 1941-1943. Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co (October 2002) ISBN 0802839592
See also
- Rainer Maria Rilke, a German poet who influenced her thoughts and diary writings.
- List of diarists
External links
- [Article on Etty Hillesum as well as camp Westerbork. In Dutch.]
- [Museum information in the Dutch language]
- [Tolerant School Organization]
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