Suzanne Hochherr was born in Amsterdam on September 1, 1939


Suzanne Hochherr was born in Amsterdam on September 1, 1939—the very same day Nazi Germany invaded Poland, beginning World War II. In May 1940, the Netherlands would also be occupied by the German army. 

Suzanne's parents, Margot and Heinz, had moved to the Netherlands from Nazi Germany in hopes of safety. But in the summer of July 1942, German authorities and their Dutch collaborators began to round up and deport Jews from throughout the Netherlands. 

Jews were often first taken to the Westerbork transit camp. Most were only there for a short time. From Westerbork, men, women, and children were deported to killing centers, ghettos, and camps—mainly Auschwitz-Birkenau and Sobibor. The first transport from Westerbork left for Auschwitz #OnThisDay in 1942. 

Suzanne and her parents were part of this transport. Suzanne was almost certainly murdered in the gas chambers upon her arrival and alongside her mother. She was not even three years old. According to surviving records, her father was selected for forced labor but died in Auschwitz one month later. 

Regular deportations from Westerbork would continue until September 1944. In just over two years, more than 100,000 Jews were deported from the Netherlands. The vast majority did not survive. 

Photo: USHMM, courtesy of Robert Bahr

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