On that evening my sister, Milly, and Greetje Cohen, who had been hiding in that remote
room could not be discovered. We others - Mrs. Cohen, the Cohen siblings, Hartog,
Miriam, and Samuel, plus the boy by the name of Gaertner, and myself - had been hauled
off by the GESTAPO to the Joodsche Schouwburg - formerly a well-known Jewish
theater. We got there at about 10pm. I don’t remember any further details about the
arrest. Everything went by so fast; there was no time left to think or get scared.
However, I do remember quite vividly that I got separated from the Cohen family under
those circumstances, and that I was taken from the Schouwburg to a separate place for
children.
The roughly 40 - 50 children among the detainees were most likely taken to a different
house, because there were no overnight accommodations for them at the theater. At the
other place there were beds, and the children could get a good night’s sleep. There we
also got something to eat. Naturally, the Nazi police would guard us. In a building
across from the Schouwburg there was a Jewish children’s home; only babies and
toddlers were admitted to it. In that home my cousin, Edith Meyer, the daughter of my
father’s sister, Meta, was working as a nurse.
From arrest to liberation I didn’t have any contact with my sister, Gertrud, who was
staying with the Dr. Cohen family.
I only stayed for one night at the house to which they had taken us bigger kids. After that
I got sick with a virus infection.