Saint Sepulcre Moments • Miracles Docs #8 • 20250918

Moments from a vibrant testimony and jazz by Simon Gronowski at the Saint-Sépulcre school in Liège, Belgium, 19 november 2013.

The Institut Saint-Sépulcre (now S2J School Center) hosted 3 sessions with Simon Gronowski that day for different age groups, including adults in the evening — and, in between, an intimate jazz moment was created in the surreal ambience of the school’s chapel.

Thanks to friends Philippe Renette (co-producer), Simon Gronowski, Koenraad Tinel (Photo Dieter Telemans featured in Die Welt , Saturday 16th Nov 2013 – Feinde wie wir, by Felix Stephan) and Patrick (assisting with sound), staff Marc Belleflamme and André Hérin, and teachers Christine Marchal, Ingrid Lothe, others, and the Saint-Sépulcre students.
Special thanks to the students Hélène, Charline, Tristan, Kimberley, Elodie, Farah, Esther, Estelle, Laetitia, Catherine, Tracy, and Pauline for making possible the unique events that month in 2013 for this Miracles film project.

Filmed by Michel van der Burg at the Station Liège-Guillemins, and Institut Saint-Sépulcre , Liège, Belgium, 19 november 2013.

Saint Sepulcre Moments | Miracles Docs #8 | Miracles•Media | 20250918

Notes

French talks with English subtitles in open captions (OC).

Miracles Docs #8 :

The first French edition was published in 2022 as Simon Stompin’ at the Saint Sépulcre | Miracles•Media | 20221119 | ISAN 0000-0007-329C-0008-C-0000-0001-0 .

The here presented, second, edition is titled ‘Saint Sepulcre Moments’ and has open captions (burned in) showing English subtitles.

News • Miracles Moment #5 • 20250915

Surprise

Tuesday , November 19, 2013, Simon Gronowski arrives at Station Liège-Guillemins on his way to give a series of testimonies all day at the Saint Sépulcre school in Liège, Belgium. When he gets off on the platform, and teacher Philippe Renette and I – while filming – welcome him, Simon surprises us, showing me last Saturday’s news in the German national daily newspaper Die Welt (The World) at the front page of the weekly supplement Die Literarische Welt (The Literary World).

Unlikely Friends • Feinde Wie Wir

In the article ‘Feinde wie wir’ (Enemies like us) in the German newspaper Die Welt of November 16, 2013 (1), cultural journalist Felix Stephan reports on his conversation in Berlin with Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel, which took place after their presentation there at the 13th International Literature Festival Berlin (2) of their book (3,4) ‘Enfin libérés’ / ‘Eindelijk bevrijd’ (Finally liberated) — the story of their history as children of war and the special friendship since their first meeting a year earlier, in 2012 (5).

The lead of the story reads as follows (my translation):

A story of reconciliation: Belgians Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel were children during World War II: one a Jew whose family was murdered, the other the son of a committed Nazi. Decades later, they discover how close their lives were and send an emphatic message to Europe.

French, German, with English subtitles.

Enemies like us • Miracles•Media • 20250915_1 • TakeNode d6238cf6-2521-42fe-9323-a90d521a94f6

Notes

1. Feinde wie wir. Felix Stephan | Die Welt (Germany) Nov 16, 2013. URL https://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/literatur/article121955638/Freunde-wie-Brueder-Feinde-wie-wir.html

2. Finally Free after 70 years. Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel (Belgium). internationales literaturfestival berlin (13.ilb), Sep 7, 2013.

3. Ni victime, ni coupable, enfin libérés. French edition (2013) by Simon Gronowski, Koenraad Tinel, David Van Reybrouck. Renaissance du livres ISBN 978-2507051051

4. Eindelijk bevrijd – geen schuld, geen slachtoffer. Dutch edition (2013) by Simon Gronowski, Koenraad Tinel, David Van Reybrouck. Hannibal ISBN 978-9491376405 . Reissue (2021) 978-9464366204

6. Enemies like us • Miracles•Media • 20250915_1 • TakeNode | Still (frame 340) Simon Gronowski shows Die Literarische Welt at Station Liège-Guillemins, Nov 19, 2013 , with a portrait photo of Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel by Belgian photographer Dieter Telemans – https://www.dietertelemans.com

Nazi Street Propaganda • 20250622

Propaganda on the windows of the shop ‘Goedkoope Winkel’ (Cheap Shop) at Lange Elisabethstraat 2 in Utrecht, Holland, photographed by Wim Bruschwiler , ca 1943.

Nazi anti-semitic slogan ‘JOOD’ (Jew) on one window.

On the other window, the “V” symbol — standing for the English (Anti-Nazi) “Victory” slogan or the later Nazi edition “Victorie”.

On top of that window on the left a small pamphlet showing O…Z…O – W… – V…V – … … … … .

OZO originally was the anti-Nazi slogan ‘Oranje Zal Overwinnen’ (transl. : Holland Will Win). Here probably the Nazi version of OZO was posted (compare image in Notes 1) :

Orde Zal Overwinnen – Want – V=Victorie – Duitschland Wint Voor Europa! .

Translation :
Order Will Win – Because – V=Victory – Germany Wins For Europe!

Notes

1. OZO pamphlet URL https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/beelden/detail/27353290-025a-11e7-904b-d89d6717b464/media/e80bf3cc-68cb-1afc-ef42-c8702ea54fa4

2. This shop window was also filmed August 1941 by Ben Postema (1941, Filmpost) as show in the video : Slogan JOOD • Miracles•Media • 20250621 URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2025/06/21/slogan-jood-20250621/

Credits

Source: Photo by W.H.J. (“Wim”) Bruschwiler, courtesy Het Utrechts Archief.

Citation info : Nazi Street Propaganda • Miracles•Media • 20250622 • TakeNode 39a02697-6f86-41bd-84e6-cc2ce3df1c77

Slogan JOOD • 20250621

Clandestine camera shot during World War 2 occupation of Holland from amateur film ‘Bezet Gebied’ (transl. ‘Occupied Territory’ by Ben Postema (Filmpost) of the shop ‘Goedkoope Winkel’ (Cheap Shop) at Lange Elisabethstraat 2 in Utrecht, Holland, the window of which is defaced with the anti-Semitic slogan ‘JOOD’ (Jew) , Aug 14, 1941.

Credits

Source: Bezet Gebied by Ben Postema (1941, Filmpost) courtesy of Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Open Images).

Citation info : Slogan JOOD • Miracles•Media • 20250621 • License : Creative Commons CC BY SA • TakeNode 9e898c3a-04d9-4949-9b22-b6ab6f4f89db

Wall of Honor • Sally & Nelly Story #4 • 20250501

Nelly Quintart – spelled as Quintard – engraved on the Wall of Honor , Belgium 1999 section, in the Garden of Righteous at Yad Vashem .

Yad Vashem recognized Nelly as Righteous Among the Nations on December 30, 1998, and honored her posthumously in 1999 with the Righteous title and medal.

Background

Belgian Resistance fighter Nelly Quintart has been hiding the Jewish Frankenthal family — Esther, Adolphe, and daughter Sally Frankenthal — at her place, 13 Rue Marie-Thérèse in Brussels, from September 1942 until the liberation in 1944.
Sally Frankenthal recommended to Yad Vashem in the late 1990s the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ medal for ‘Nelly Quintard’, which Nelly received posthumously in 1999. The surname ‘Quintart’ was misspelled as ‘Quintard’ in Sally’s correspondence with Yad Vashem.

Quintard Nelly. Righteous collection Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center. URL https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/righteous/4017080

Irena Steinfeldt, “Commemorating the Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem. The History of a Unique Program”, Diasporas [Online], 21 | 2013, Online since 01 March 2013, connection on 30 April 2025. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/diasporas/261; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/diasporas.261

“Names of Righteous by Country,” Yad Vashem. The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, last modified January 1 2023, https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/statistics.html

Citation info : Wall of Honor • Sally & Nelly Story #4 • Miracles•Media • 20250501

Souvenir • Sally & Nelly Story #3 • 20250430

April 11, 2025. Installation stolperstein Sally Frankenthal, 11-13 Rue Marie-Thérèse, Brussels, Belgium.

Visitation Stones

As part of the closing ceremony, Bella Swiatlowski, coordinator Stolpersteine of the Association pour la Mémoire de la Shoah, invited all attendees to place a pebble around the stolperstein, a souvenir, showing respect.

Accordion music – Yiddish Partisan Song “Zog nit keyn mol” – by André Reinitz. Stolperstein handcrafted by Gunter Demnig’s team. Film by Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media.

Background

Stolperstein Sally Frankenthal • Sally & Nelly Story #2 • Miracles•Media • 20250429 • URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2025/04/29/stolperstein-sally-frankenthal-sally-nelly-story-2-20250429/

Diorama • Sally & Nelly Story #1 • Renée Cassin & Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • 20250427 • URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2025/04/27/diorama-sally-nelly-story-1-20250427/

Sally • 20250411 | Settela•Com | ISSN 2949-9313 | URL https://settela.com/2025/04/11/sally-20250411/

Stolpersteine. An art monument by Gunter Demnig. URL https://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/

Stolperstein

ICI ETAIT CACHEE
SALLY FRANKENTHAL
NEE 1934
SEP 1942-1944
RESCAPEE

(translation)

HERE WAS HIDDEN
SALLY FRANKENTHAL
BORN 1934
SEP 1942-1944
SURVIVOR

Citation info : Souvenir • Sally & Nelly Story #3 • Miracles•Media • 20250430 • TakeNode 59e68188-449a-4d27-970b-cd843d07dab3

Stolperstein Sally Frankenthal • Sally & Nelly Story #2 • 20250429

HERE WAS HIDDEN
SALLY FRANKENTHAL
BORN 1934
SEP 1942-1944
SURVIVOR

Installation stolperstein Sally Frankenthal, 11-13 Rue Marie-Thérèse, Brussels, 11 April 2025.
Belgian Resistance fighter Nelly Quintart has been hiding the Jewish Frankenthal family — Esther, Adolphe, and daughter Sally Frankenthal — at her place, 13 Rue Marie-Thérèse in Brussels, from September 1942 until the liberation in 1944.
Sally Frankenthal recommended to Yad Vashem in the late 1990s the ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ medal for ‘Nelly Quintard’, which Nelly received posthumously. The surname ‘Quintart’ was misspelled as ‘Quintard’ in Sally’s correspondence with Yad Vashem.

Together, the families of Sally Frankenthal and Nelly Quintart and researcher, filmmaker Michel van der Burg took the initiative June 2023 for this Stolperstein, a tribute to Sally Frankelthal, to recall passers-by to this story of Sally & Nelly, in front of the place where the house where Nelly Quintart hid the Frankenthal family used to stand – now a large new building at 11-13 Rue Marie-Thérèse in Brussels.

April 11, 2025 this beautiful and moving Stolperstein ceremony took place with music by André Reinitz on accordion, thanks to the Association pour la Mémoire de la Shoah joining our initiative July 2023 and making it happen, especially Marcel Zalc (president) and Bella Swiatlowski, coordinator Stolpersteine. Thank you municipal workers for placing this stolperstein. Film by Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media.

A person is only forgotten when their name is forgotten.
From the Talmud

The story of Sally & Nelly is now integrated into the largest decentralized memorial in the world, thanks to the artist Gunter Demnig and his team…hand-stamping each letter into the brass of this stone.

Background

Diorama • Sally & Nelly Story #1 • Renée Cassin & Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • 20250427 • URL https://michelvanderburg.com/2025/04/27/diorama-sally-nelly-story-1-20250427/

Sally • 20250411 | Settela•Com | ISSN 2949-9313 | URL https://settela.com/2025/04/11/sally-20250411/

Stolpersteine. An art monument by Gunter Demnig. URL https://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/

Citation info : Stolperstein Sally Frankenthal • Sally & Nelly Story #2 • Miracles•Media • 20250429 • TakeNode 76ffd76b-f3ce-459e-816b-e9889fcefac6