April 19, 2013 — Watch online free below our full documentary “Transport XX to Auschwitz”
– a film by Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg.
The attack on this deportation train in Belgium – by three young men – the rescue, and the many escapes and escape attemps are documented in this film.
Today 70 years ago – on the night of April 19, 1943 – this remarkable heroic rescue occured in Belgium, were 17 people were liberated during an attack on the cattle car train ‘Transport XX’ – crammed with 1631 Jewish passengers, heading for Auschwitz – and another more than 200 others jumped out also.
As of April 19, 2015 the orginal version of the film is replaced above with a new – second – edition of the documentary with updated statistics.
For free watching this new (second) version of our film directly at YouTube follow one of these 2 links : youtu.be or youtube.com
During the Nazi occupation of Belgium 28 train convoys with over 25,000 Jews and 351 Roma left Mechelen towards the Auschwitz extermination camp.
On the night of April 19, 1943, the 20th transport headed East with 1631 Jewish passengers crammed into 40 cattle cars.
This ‘Transport XX’ left the Mechelen transit camp ‘Kazerne Dossin’ at 10 pm. and was attacked and stopped some 30 minutes later outside Brussels – near Boortmeerbeek.
Armed with only 1 pistol, pliers and an improvised red hurricane lamp the three young Belgians Robert Maistriau, Jean Franklemon, and Youra Livschitz – old schoolmates – stopped the train by putting the red lamp in the middle of rails. They were able to open one of the cattle cars and liberated 17 men and women. Another more than 200 prisoners escape from the train before the German border. Many were shot and 26 were killed. Eventually, half of them succeeded to escape.
The attack, rescue, and many escapes and escape attemps from this 20th deportation train in Belgium are documented in this newly released film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” by the first-hand accounts of one of the attackers, people that jumped from the train and survivors who returned from Auschwitz.
This attack by three young man, who follow their heart, is the only documented attack on a death train during the Shoah.
The film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” documents the attack and rescue story of one of the attackers, Robert Maistriau, and several escape attempts and escapes of the deportees: Régine Krochmal, Louis de Groot and his brother, the 11 year old Simon Gronowski, Lilly Wolkenfeld Schwartz and her friends, Gunther and Marie Mendel, Willy Berler, Louis Micheels who as doctor in charge of patients decided not trying to escape – and others…
Régine Krochmal had been active in the resistance and was a nurse. She had to escort together with a doctor the more dead then alive deportees in the ‘hospital’ car. Just before she went into the car she was warned by the Jewish camp doctor of the Dossin barracks, who gave her a knife with the words: “Cut the bars, jump, because they will burn you“.
Régine, had to fight off the accompanying doctor in her car who was trying to prevent her from sawing through the bars of the small vent in order to escape. She jumped out the very same moment the train was attacked and stopped.
Then when the train stops, the attacker Robert Maistriau cuts the barbed wire on the sliding door of one of the cars, opens the door and calls “Fliehen Sie, Fliehen Sie!” At first people are confused and scared – but then 17 people jumped out and escaped, while the Germans were shooting. He next starts working on a second car, but the train began moving…
Transport XX to Auschwitz – trailer
In every car the Germans had appointed one prisoner responsible for preventing and reporting attempts to escapes. Louis de Groot – was one of these appointed ‘guards’ and was told “When anybody escapes, or you let anybody escape, everybody is killed!“. He, however, calmed down the scared people in his car. “They did not want to let me out of that – they were so afraid – that I – that we will be killed. So, I say ‘no – I arrange it for you’. I was quite an acrobat. So, we broke open that little air thing…“. He, together with some others managed to break open the little ventilation window. Louis then took a girl with him when he jumped – together with his brother Abraham and two boys.
Simon Gronowski was only 11 years old when he was helped by his mother to jump from the train, and survived – unlike his mother who was gassed at Auschwitz. Simon was ‘lucky’. He was taken care of by the Belgian gendarme Jean Aerts and his wife, and not betrayed. That salvation was no exception: almost all refugees from the deportation train survived with the help of the Belgian population. Simon Gronowski was the youngest person to ever escape from a death train.
Lilly Wolkenfeld Schwartz had to push her Belgian friend Lilian to jump from the train. The train was moving fast when guys in the compartment of Lilly and her friends Bella and Lilian managed to open the doors. Bella and a lot of other people jumped, but Lilian said “…I can’t“. So Lilly pushed her to jump, and jumped after her. Lilly: “…and as I jumped I had a bullet here, which I found out later…”
Both Gunther Mendel and Marie (Neufeld) Mendel too managed to escape via the little ventilation window and jumped. Gunther: “I went out foot first…you have to throw yourself backwards, because the train was doing maybe 30-40 miles an hour..“. Marie: “..I jumped out – I let myself out – and I lost a shoe…”
Louis Micheels had thought of escaping, but as he was responsible for the seriously ill patients in the hospital car – then thought “how can I, as a doctor in charge of patients in this transport, how can I desert and escape?“. Upon arrival in Auschwitz however “my patients were dragged out, thrown on the truck like they were cattle, dead cattle..”
When Willy Berler was about to jump off the train, he saw that the unfortunate man who had jumped before him, was stuck to the train with his head crushed like a melon. Willy did not jump. “If I had known …. about Auschwitz …. I would have jumped.“
These are remarkable stories of the heroic rescue, escapes, and escape attempts from Transport XX to Auschwitz, which occurred on April 19, 1943 – the first night of Passover – when, at the same time, also the Warsaw Ghetto uprising began, some 720 miles away.
During the Shoah, the Nazis, in their quest for the ‘final solution’ of the Jewish question, utilized thousands of such trains from Germany and the occupied countries to transport 3,000,000 Jews to the concentration and death camps.
This documentary is available – distributed for free – for Jewish and other film festivals as well as holocaust education programs.- T
For more info contact: Richard Bloom (Richard Bloom Productions – USA) or Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com)
Currently (as of Jan. 2013) the film is available for viewing in the world holocaust museums and centers:
Premiere Saturday October 27 , 2012 — The film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” premiered at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) 2012 – screened first 27 October at the main film festival theatre Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale, and again in November 3rd in Sunrise, Florida.
April 2013 — Early this month screenings at Jewish community centers followed in commemorations of Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day – in Florida and the Greater Washington area
April 2014 — Screening “Transport XX to Auschwitz ” April 2, 2014 with guest speaker Richard Bloom in Temple Anshei Shalom – Delray’s Vibrant Synagogue of the Future – Florida , US
April 2014 – Screening at the Jewish Heritage Festival – News Journal Center – Daytona Beach, Florida
May 2014 – Festival of Tolerance in Zagreb, Croatia, May 18-24, Cinema Tuškanac – European Theater Premiere. Screening with both Croatian subtitles and English subtitles. The audience gave the film a very good average grade of 4.3 (out of 5).
Jan 2015 – Brussels, Belgium. On January 31, the historic Atelier Marcel Hastir hosted the special screening (and Belgium premiere) of the documentary « Transport XX to Auschwitz » for International Holocaust Remembrance Day – 70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27, 1945. The screening was introduced by filmmaker Michel van der Burg with a few words on the history of this special place – the Atelier Marcel Hastir – and the important role of the Atelier in the planning of the attack on the 20th train to Auschwitz.
After the screening in a discussion lead by Laura Muris (Atelier Marcel Hastir), Michel van der Burg talked with the audience about the film, about these people’s stories, and also the many new stories that emerged since the film came out – more on this site via this link.
March 2015 – JIFF , Australia – The Holocaust Film Series 2015 of the Jewish International Film Festival in Australia hosted the Australian premiere Sunday March 15, 2015 simultaneously in both Sydney (Event Cinemas, Bondi Junction) and Melbourne (Classic Cinemas). In both cities the film was shown a second time – in Sydney March 24 , and in Melbourne March 19, 2015. The audience feedback was overwhelming.
April 2015 – Screening on April 12, 2015 at Young Israel of Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Florida , USA with guest speakers Philippe Renette (Belgium) and filmmaker Richard Bloom (USA) to lead a discussion and Q&A after the film screening. The event – as part of the Holocaust Remembrance Week – was hosted by The Foundation for Holocaust Education Projects & Young Israel of Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale. More info on this site. This screening was in the news before in the Joyce Kaufman talk show on the 850 WFTL Florida radio station on March 25, 2015 (see report on this site).
April 2015 – Atelier Marcel Hastir (Brussels, Belgium) showings on demand on a large-screen display from April 11 to April 19 2015 on weekend days 14-20h with a Q&A by the team of the Atelier. More info on this site.
September 2017 – Screening for new volunteers of ‘ASF België / Belgique‘ September 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. The Belgian ASF is part of the international network of Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste – in english called : ‘Action Reconciliation Service for Peace‘. The Belgian ASF one year ‘Service for Peace’ volunteers work a year in both social projects with the elderly, migrants, people with disabilities, and socially vulnerable children , and also historical and educational projects, in eg. museums and memorials , like Kazerne Dossin.
Further details on this site via this link.
Richard Bloom (Richard Bloom Productions – USA)
Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com)
Following the news of the film other stories are emerging.
When Rachelle Bashe was a child, she dreamed about her father’s escape from a train carrying Belgian Jews to Auschwitz. Bashe, 77, of Boynton Beach was reminded of her dreams when a reporter called to talk about the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz.” The film will be screened at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival later this month and in early November.
“It’s just unbelievable,” an emotional Bashe said when she realized that her father was one of the more than 200 persons on the 20th train convoy who escaped on the night of April 19, 1943 during a daring attack by three Resistance fighters carrying a red railroad lamp, a pair of pliers and a pistol.
Bashe said her mother told her that her father escaped from a train but never returned home. She eventually learned that he was captured later, survived three concentration camps and died in 1945 during a death march. “It does help in a way that I am realizing that what is in my subconscious is not really a dream or a nightmare,” Bashe said.
April 28, 2014 – Isabella Weinreb Castegnier was three-months pregnant that night on April 1943 in Belgium, when she jumped from the fast moving 20th Train heading for Auschwitz. Isabella escaped with a broken wrist and bruises all over her body, but otherwise without major injuries. Her daughter Viviane – meaning “full of life”, and named so for her will to live and hold tight in her mother’s womb – was born six months later on October 30, 1943.
Last month, Viviane first learned about our documentary “Transport XX to Auschwitz” and e-mailed me…”I couldn’t believe while searching online that I would find an actual movie made, telling the story of this famous, unique escape from a death-train!” After watching the documentary, she wrote to me “it was so well-made…I even wished it were longer”…Viviane also shared with me that at one point in the film, she got tears in her eyes, as her mother’s face appeared in a flash on the screen, while Lilly (Wolkenfeld Schwartz) – her mother’s friend was telling the story…”and Bella jumped” … this was so unexpected, she said “it took me by surprise!”
One year ago – on Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 7, 2013 – her mother passed away at the age of 93. Today, 71 years after that unique escape, on Holocaust Remembrance Day 2014, and her mother’s yahrzeit, Viviane shares her story here on this site. Continue reading >
…that night of April 19th, 1943 in Belgium , Elias Gnazik helped jump the pregnant Isabella Weinreb from the fast moving 20th train heading for Auschwitz. Viviane – meaning ‘full of life’ – was born 6 months later…
Full story announced in post Oct 2017
Viviane’s Story – Escape from Transport XX…Born 6 Months Later by Viviane Yarom-Castegnier & Michel van der Burg
Published April 19, 2019
e-Book (ePub) ISBN 9789493147003
Miracles.Media
NEWS
The greatest escape / film ‘Transport XX to Auschwitz’ by Richard Bloom, Karen Lynne and Michel van der Burg
THE BULLETIN issue 16 – Apr 20, 2012 – by Sarah Ehrlich and Edmund Day photos by Dieter Telemans
Escaping the train to Auschwitz
BBC News – 19 April 2013 – By Althea Williams and Sarah Ehrlich
This day in Jewish history / Daring escape from an Auschwitz-bound train
HAARETZ – Apr.19, 2013 – By David B. Green
The Survivor Mitzvah Project
Films
Jan 30, 2014 – Lilly (Wolkenfeld) Schwartz passed away this week.
Aug 30, 2014 – The “Transport XX to Auschwitz” film is now included – for future screenings – in the collections of the Atelier Marcel Hastir (Rue du Commerce 51, Brussels, Belgium) and the Fondation Robert Maistriau (Belgium/Congo)
Atelier Marcel Hastir
Fondation Robert Maistriau
December 2014 – Bulletin ATELIER MARCEL HASTIR – Belgian Theater Premiere – Saturday 31 jan 2015 – Screening Film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – ATELIER MARCEL HASTIR, Rue du Commerce 51, 1000 Bruxelles – Métro Trône , Belgium – see post Dec 16th on this site
March 25, 2015 – The Florida radio talk show host Joyce Kaufman and holocaust education director Avi Mizrachi discussed the upcoming special screening of the film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – a transcription (in part) and podcast link are available on this site via this link.
April 19, 2015. A new edition of our documentary “Transport XX to Auschwitz” is now publicly available online. This new – 2nd – edition with the YouTube title Transport XX to Auschwitz – current version has the latest statistics on the escapes and other updates available. This second edition is now embedded above in this post , and replaces the first edition posted here exactly two years ago, on April 19, 2013.
May 2017. Wikipedia NL “Twintigste treinkonvooi” now shows Trailer Transport XX to Auschwitz (2012)
Updates
– post updated April 20 by adding News section and news items
– Aug 2013 : USHMM updated per august 2013 the catalog info of the DVD “Transport XX to Auschwitz” in their DVD collection
– Aug 2013 : added – a recently acquired – photo of Richard Bloom speaking at the premiere of the film at the Cinema Paradiso in Florida
– Jan 2014 : added News item – the Survivor Mitzvah Project – Films
– Jan 30, 2014 : added News item – obituary Lilly (Wolkenfeld) Schwartz
– April 2014 : added news screenings & reaction / story Isabella Weinreb (“Bella”) and daughter Viviane
– May 2014 : added news European Theater Premiere at Festival of Tolerance in Zagreb, Croatia
– August 2014 : news section : collections Atelier Marcel Hastir / Fondation Robert Maistriau
– December 2014 : added news Belgian Theater Premiere in Atelier Marcel Hastir bulletin – Film 31 Jan 2015 « Transport XX to Auschwitz »
– April 2015 : added news screenings in Australia (Holocaust Film Series) and Atelier Marcel Hastir in Belgium
– April 2015 : new edition (2nd ed) of our documentary embedded and links added / news of screening Florida (April 12) and showings on demand in Atelier Marcel Hastir (April 11-19) added / in News section added Florida radio talk Joyce Kaufman and publication of the 2nd edition of our documentary April 19, 2015
– November 2015 : new link to collection Kazerne Dossin
– July/August 2016 : 2012 news item (THE BULLETIN) and July 2016 Media collection Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies
– May 2017 : added News item Dutch Wikipedia NL “Twintigste treinkonvooi” now shows Trailer Transport XX to Auschwitz (2012)
– October 2017 : 3 minor text updates (in the first line of the introduction, below the embedded film, and in the first line of ‘Film festivals & holocaust education programs‘ section to underline that our full documentary is (and always has been) distributed for free , and via this post available for free online watching.
Any offering you may perhaps find elsewhere on the internet for watching ‘a paid version’ of the ‘full movie’ is criminal use by others.
– October 2017 – news screening for new volunteers of ‘ASF België / Belgique‘ September 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.
– Jan 16, 2019 – Updated and added details , in section ‘New Stories … reactions’ mostly.
– Nov 8, 2019 – Update DVD available in world holocaust museums and centers / Viviane’s Story e-Book (ePub) ISBN 9789493147003 published April 19th 2019
Lees online in:
DeWereldMorgen.beFilm vertelt het verhaal van een gewaagde aanval op trein naar Auschwitz .
Zaterdag 27 oktober 2012 – eerst gepubliceerd in DeWereldMorgen.be
De film ‘Transport XX to Auschwitz’ vertelt het verhaal van de gewaagde aanval op een trein naar Auschwitz.
Zo kopt het artikel in de Florida Jewish Journal naar aanleiding van de première – zaterdag, 27 oktober – van de film op het Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) – en de Jewish Journal reporter vervolgt… (vertaald):
Rachelle Bashe was nog een kind toen ze droomde over haar vader’s ontsnapping uit een trein vol Belgische joden naar Auschwitz. Basche nu een vrouw van 77 jaar in Florida moest aan haar dromen denken toen een reporter haar belde om te praten over de documentaire film “Transport XX to Auschwitz.”
De film wordt vertoont op het Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in Florida, als premiere eind deze maand, en daarna nogmaals begin November.
“Het is gewoon niet te geloven” zei Bashe emotioneel, toen ze begreep dat haar vader één van de meer dan 200 mensen was, die ontsnapten uit het 20ste trein konvooi in de nacht van 19 april 1943.
Haar moeder had Basche verteld dat haar vader ontsnapte uit een trein maar nooit meer is thuis gekomen. Later kwam zij te weten dat hij weer gevangen genomen was, drie concentratiekampen overleefde, en stierf in 1945 tijdens een dodenmars. “In zekere zin helpt het mij dat ik mij nu realiseer dat wat in mijn onderbewuste leefde geen droom of nachtmerrie is”, zei Bashe de reporter.
Lees – onder andere over ‘het maken van de film’ – verder in deze reportage van Jewish Journal reporter David Schwartz via deze link hier.
Tijdens de Holocaust (Shoa) hebben de Nazis — op zoek naar wat zij noemden “de definitieve oplossing van het Jodenprobleem” — duizenden treinen ingezet vanuit Duitsland en de bezette landen om 3 miljoen Joden weg te voeren naar de concentratie- en dodenkampen.
De documentaire film ‘Transport XX to Auschwitz’ van Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom en Michel van der Burg vertelt het verhaal van één van de meest gedurfde en heldhaftige reddingspogingen, die plaatsvond op 19 April 1943, de eerste nacht van het joods paasfeest, en toevallig ook gelijktijdig met het begin van de opstand in het Getto van Warschau.
Die nacht vertrok de 20ste trein – het “Transport XX” – vanuit Mechelen om 10 uur ‘s avonds met beestenwagons volgepropt met 1631 joodse mannen, vrouwen en kinderen op weg naar het kamp Auschwitz II – Birkenau.
Een half uur na vertrek echter, werd de trein gestopt door drie jonge Brusselaars — Jean Franklemon, Youra Livschitz en Robert Maistriau — slechts gewapend met een pistool, tangen en een stormlamp. Dit is – voor zover bekend – de enige aanval op een dodentrein tijdens de Holocaust.
Wat er gebeurde voorafgaande-, tijdens-, en na afloop van deze buitengewone reddingspoging wordt in deze film van bijna 1 uur getoond met beeldmateriaal uit archieven in binnen- en buitenland, en met reportages en interviews van overlevenden in verschillende talen: zoals engels, en – met engelse ondertiteling – ook vlaams, hollands, duits, en frans.
Veel geinterviewden zijn inmiddels overleden. Régine Krochmal – een moedige verzetsvrouw – die in de film over haar spectaculaire ontsnapping uit de trein vertelt, is enige maanden geleden op hoge leeftijd in Brussel overleden. Hiervan werd eerder verslag gedaan in dewereldmorgen.be door Jan Hertogen en ook door mij met een speciale video als eerbetoon op de dag van haar overlijden , op dezw site XX en in dewereldmorgen.be
http://www.dewereldmorgen.be/blogs/imichel/2012/05/30/regine-krochmal-eerbetoon-aan-een-moedige-verzetsvrouw
Een van de overlevenden is Simon Gronowski, advocaat en activist, die als jongen van 11 jaar van de trein sprong. Hij werd door mij geinterviewd en gefilmd op de verschillende locaties van zijn ontsnappingstocht gedurende die nacht en volgende dag.
Tijdens die filmreportage van Michel van der Burg werd gezamenlijk met partizaan Max De Vries en Marc Van Roosbroeck en met toevallige hulp van een lokale tractorbestuurder de exacte locatie ontdekt – het talud vlak voor Kuttekoven – waar Simon destijds uit de trein sprong en met een ‘rolleke-bolleke’ weer op zijn voeten onderaan het talud belandde.
De foto boven (een productie ‘still’ genomen door Marc van Roosbroeck tijdens de filmreportage) toont de scene van de film ‘Transport XX to Auschwitz’ waar Simon Gronowski zojuist voor het eerst weer op de plek staat, waar hij bijna 70 jaar eerder van de trein sprong vlak voor Kuttekoven— terwijl zijn moeder verder moest met de trein naar Auschwitz.
Film – TRANSPORT XX TO AUSCHWITZ – FLIFF
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF)
Premiere – zaterdag 27 oktober 2012 in het ‘Cinema Paradiso’ theater in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Volgende vertoning – zaterdag 3 november 2012 in het ‘Sunrise Civic Theatre’ in Sunrise, Florida, USA
Meer informatie – FLIFF festivalpagina – https://bit.ly/miraclesmedia20121015
Engelstalige Jewish Journal post van 24 october 2012 via deze link.
Jan,16, 2019 – Artikel overgenomen met kleine aanpassingen van mijn oorspronkelijke blog post ‘Film vertelt het verhaal van een gewaagde aanval op trein naar Auschwitz ‘ gepubliceerd Zaterdag 27 oktober 2012 in DeWereldMorgen.be
20240507 – Verouderde links naar Jewish Journal site en FLIFF festival site updated naar Wayback archief pagina van die sites.
Video description
Nederlands (English – French/Français, see below):
TRANSPORT XX — installatie Brussel
Video impressie (28 februari 2009) van de confrontatie van voorbijgangers met de TRANSPORT XX installatie in Brussel: 1200 fotografische portretten van joden gedeporteerd van Mechelen (België) naar Auschwitz in 1943.
Vandaag precies 66 jaar geleden — op 19 april 1943 — deporteerde het TRANSPORT XX treinkonvooi 1631 gevangenen (voornamelijk joden) van de Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (België) naar Auschwitz-Birkenau (Polen).
Een op de zeven van de gedeporteerden wist te ontsnappen; ondermeer door de verzetsactie van de drie Brusselse jongemannen — Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau — die het konvooi ‘s nachts tot staan brachten na Boortmeerbeek — niet ver van Mechelen.
Het project TRANSPORT XX is een constructie waarin de portretten getoond worden van 1200 van de 1631 gevangenen van dit 20ste konvooi.
De TRANSPORT XX installatie in Brussel werd van 27 januari tot 15 maart 2009 georganiseerd door het BELvue Museum in samenwerking met JMDV/Kazerne Dossin (Meer info hieronder).
De fotografische portretten werden buiten gepresenteerd langs het “Park van Brussel” (Warandepark) tegenover het Koninklijk Paleis. Op deze wijze werden voorbijgangers geconfronteerd met de 1200 gezichten van de slachtoffers.
Met deze gebeurtenis werd tevens de bevrijding herdacht van Auschwitz-Birkenau op 27 januari 1945.
Meer info:
Dit project werd voor het eerst gepresenteerd aan de internationale pers op vrijdag 20 april 2007 bij de Kazerne Dossin / Joods Museum van Deportatie en Verzet (JMDV).
De Kazerne Dossin digitaliseerde de foto’s van Dossin gevangenen, die meestal afkomstig zijn uit het Belgische Algemeen Rijksarchief – Dossiers Vreemdelingen Politie.
Met het project “Geef ze een gezicht” tracht Kazerne Dossin om zoveel mogelijk portretten van gedeporteerden samen te brengen, om hen hun gezicht terug te geven, en de herinnering levend te houden.
Video © 2009 Michel van der Burg (www.michelvanderburg.com) — Sommige rechten voorbehouden: Creative Commons licentie: Naamsvermelding-Gelijk delen 3.0.
English:
Video impression (February 28th, 2009) of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented 1200 photographic portraits of Jews deported from Malines (Belgium) to Auschwitz in 1943.
Today exactly 66 years ago — on 19 April 1943 — the TRANSPORT XX train convoy deported 1,631 prisoners (mainly Jews) from the Dossin Barracks in Malines (Belgium) to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland).
One out of seven of these deportees managed to escape, among others by the act of resistance of the three young men — Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau — who stopped the convoy that night after Boortmeerbeek (near Malines).
The project TRANSPORT XX is a construction depicting the portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 prisoners deported on this 20th convoy.
The TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels was organised from 27 January to 15 March 2009 by the BELvue Museum in collaboration with the JMDR/Dossin Barracks (More info below).
The photographic portraits were displayed outside in the Royal park in Brussels (opposite the Royal Palace). In this way passers-by were confronted with 1,200 faces of the victims.
This event commemorated the release of Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland) on 27 January 1945.
More info:
This project was first presented to the international press on Friday 20 April 2007 at the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (JMDR).
The Kazerne Dossin digitalized the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files”.
With the ‘Give Them a Face’ project the Kazerne Dossin aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.
Video © 2009 Michel van der Burg (www.michelvanderburg.com) — Some Rights Reserved Creative Commons license: Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.
Français (French):
TRANSPORT XX — installation Bruxelles
Une vidéo de l’installation “Transport XX” – une série de portraits photos des juifs qui devaient être emmenés de Malines à Auschwitz le 19 avril 1943 (organisée par le BELvue Musée à Bruxelles – 27 janvier au 15 mars 2009 – le long du Parc Royal juste en face du Palais Royal de Bruxelles).
Merci bien Marjan Verplancke et des autres collègues de la Kazerne Dossin à Malines (la Belgique) et le projet ‘Donnez-leur un visage’.
Kazerne Dossin a digitalisé des photos de déportés de Dossin – la plupart proviennent des Dossiers de la Police des Étrangers (Archives Générales du Royaume).
Avec le projet ‘Donnez-leur un visage’ Kazerne Dossin vise à réunir le maximum de portraits de déportés afin de leur rendre un visage.
Vidéo © 2009 Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com) — Certains Droits Réservés (Creative Commons license: Paternité-Partage des Conditions Initiales à l’Identique 3.0 Unported).
Info updated:
20090504
20101130 replaced ‘ClipStills’ by VideoframesWork™
20111215 credits / link info
20120109 french credits
Posted by michelvanderburg – Sunday, April 19, 2009
Republished 20220618 by Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com , from imichel•com | imichel•blogspot•com | 20090419 .
Note (20220618): The still image burned-in caption has text ‘ClipStills’ that was replaced in later years in post text by VideoframesWork , and elsewhere again later by the final choice ‘Storyboard’. Now replaced in text by Storyboard here too.
Credit 2022 format
TRANSPORT XX — installation Brussels | 20090419 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com – CC BY SA 3.0
TAGS #Auschwitz #België #Belgique #Belgium #Brussels #Brussel #Bruxelles #channel012 #convoy #train #deportation #holocaust #shoah #Jew #JMDR #BELvue #installation #Youra Livschitz #Jean #Franklemon #Robert #Maistriau #KazerneDossin #Malines #Mechelen #michelvanderburg #transport #XX #TransportXX #VideoframesWork #storyboard #ClipStills #republish #imichel #imichelcom #blogspot #blogger #1Memo #michelvanderburg #Michel van der Burg
TRANSPORT XX — installation Brussels
Portraits of Jews deported to Auschwitz in 1943
English text below – Français au bas
Video impressie (28 februari 2009) van de confrontatie van voorbijgangers met de TRANSPORT XX installatie in Brussel: 1200 fotografische portretten van joden gedeporteerd van Mechelen (België) naar Auschwitz in 1943.
Vandaag precies 66 jaar geleden — op 19 april 1943 — deporteerde het TRANSPORT XX treinkonvooi 1631 joodse gevangenen van de Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (België) naar Auschwitz-Birkenau (Polen).
Een op de zeven van de gedeporteerden wist te ontsnappen; ondermeer door de verzetsactie van de drie Brusselse jongemannen — Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau — die het konvooi ‘s nachts tot staan brachten na Boortmeerbeek — niet ver van Mechelen.
Het project TRANSPORT XX is een constructie waarin de portretten getoond worden van 1200 van de 1631 gevangenen van dit 20ste konvooi.
De TRANSPORT XX installatie in Brussel werd van 27 januari tot 15 maart 2009 georganiseerd door het BELvue Museum in samenwerking met JMDV – Kazerne Dossin (Meer info hieronder).
De fotografische portretten werden buiten gepresenteerd langs het “Park van Brussel” (Warandepark) tegenover het Koninklijk Paleis. Op deze wijze werden voorbijgangers geconfronteerd met de 1200 gezichten van de slachtoffers.
Met deze gebeurtenis werd tevens de bevrijding herdacht van Auschwitz-Birkenau op 27 januari 1945.
Meer info:
Dit project werd voor het eerst gepresenteerd aan de internationale pers op vrijdag 20 april 2007 bij de Kazerne Dossin / Joods Museum van Deportatie en Verzet (JMDV).
De Kazerne Dossin digitaliseerde de foto’s van Dossin gevangenen, die meestal afkomstig zijn uit het Belgische Algemeen Rijksarchief – Dossiers Vreemdelingen Politie.
Met het project “Geef ze een gezicht” tracht Kazerne Dossin om zoveel mogelijk portretten van gedeporteerden samen te brengen, om hen hun gezicht terug te geven, en de herinnering levend te houden.
Video © 2009 Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com) — Sommige rechten voorbehouden: Creative Commons licentie: Naamsvermelding-Gelijk delen 3.0
English
Video impression (February 28th, 2009) of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented 1200 photographic portraits of Jews deported from Malines (Belgium) to Auschwitz in 1943.
Today exactly 66 years ago — on 19 April 1943 — the TRANSPORT XX train convoy deported 1,631 prisoners (mainly Jews) from the Dossin Barracks in Malines (Belgium) to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland).
One out of seven of these deportees managed to escape, among others by the act of resistance of the three young men — Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau — who stopped the convoy that night after Boortmeerbeek (near Malines).
The project TRANSPORT XX is a construction depicting the portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 prisoners deported on this 20th convoy.
The TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels was organised from 27 January to 15 March 2009 by the BELvue Museum in collaboration with the JMDR / Dossin Barracks (Kazerne Dossin – more info below).
The photographic portraits were displayed outside in the Royal park in Brussels (opposite the Royal Palace). In this way passers-by were confronted with 1,200 faces of the victims.
This event commemorated the release of Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland) on 27 January 1945.
More info:
This project was first presented to the international press on Friday 20 April 2007 at the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (JMDR) / Kazerne Dossin.
The Kazerne Dossin digitalized the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files“.
With the ‘Give Them a Face’ project the Kazerne Dossin aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.
Video © 2009 Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com) — Some Rights Reserved Creative Commons license: Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Français (French)
Une vidéo de l’installation “Transport XX” – une série de portraits photos des juifs qui devaient être emmenés de Malines à Auschwitz le 19 avril 1943 (organisée par le BELvue Musée à Bruxelles – 27 janvier au 15 mars 2009 – le long du Parc Royal juste en face du Palais Royal de Bruxelles).
Merci bien Marjan Verplancke et des autres collègues de la Kazerne Dossin à Malines (la Belgique) et le projet ‘Donnez-leur un visage’.
Kazerne Dossin a digitalisé des photos de déportés de Dossin – la plupart proviennent des Dossiers de la Police des Étrangers (Archives Générales du Royaume).
Avec le projet ‘Donnez-leur un visage’ Kazerne Dossin vise à réunir le maximum de portraits de déportés afin de leur rendre un visage.
Vidéo © 2009 Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com) — Certains Droits Réservés – Creative Commons license: Paternité-Partage des Conditions Initiales à l’Identique 3.0 Unported
Original 2009 film version :
TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels (in this post above)
Newer film versions (with description at the Vimeo site) :
Transport XX – face to face
NB . only minor corrections and new title
This version of the film ‘Transport XX – face to face’ was presented by Kazerne Dossin from January 2010 – ca 2012 on the site of the Task Force For International Cooperation On Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF , now the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance ( IHRA ), and on the frontpage of the Kazerne Dossin site from January 2011 – ca October 2012 – here a cached page from 2012.
Transport XX – face to face (2012)
NB. new cut
Transport XX face to face – 1 minute film
A special 1 minute film “Transport XX face to face” was selected in 2010 by The One Minutes and the dutch Museum of National History (innl) for the ‘Where history starts’ event on Nov 28th, 2010 in Paradiso, Amsterdam (Netherlands).
Child’s Cry – musical edition of the film Transport XX Face To Face
Child’s Cry is a musical edition of the film Transport XX Face To Face (20200110) matched to Que Siga el Calor, an original song by Simon Lapscher, Moshe Bitton & Samuel Truzman.
A special co-production for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020.
Made possible by: Project “Give them a Face” – Kazerne Dossin: Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on the Holocaust and Human Rights (Mechelen, BE); and the National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files.
Music : Que Siga el Calor by Simon Lapscher, Moshe Bitton, and Samuel Truzman.
Film : Child’s Cry (20200125-20200202) Michel van der Burg | miracles.media
English translation of the spanish lyrics :
Uncertain life
Reality
Once again loses
…Its integrity
You were sitting on nana’s bed thinking about going out to play When will you be old enough…
…to learn how to die?
How to understand that here is where his childhood dies?
Strange men are taking Dad away
You can’t find the light
The sun goes down, and you’re thirsty inside a wagon
You’re starting to lose your illusion
Grace no longer covers you
She raises her voice, is impatient
Because the train’s driver did not warn her
That she was on the death train
So pitiful is humanity
She hides the truth
But that child
Who was not given a start
Could have been the captain
Of this ship
That knows not how to navigate
Me, you, him
We are all
Wanderers walking.The death of the jew was proclaimed
He was laughing mercilessly
The cry of that child burned us
Tet the heat continueThe death of the jew was proclaimed
He was laughing mercilessly
The cry of that child burned us
Let the heat continue
Uncertain life
Reality.
Full Documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” via this link
The 2010 ‘final cut’ “Transport XX face to face” was first published October 2010 in the 7th round of the New Arrivals 2010 / 2011 of the dutch ‘NTR’ broadcaster: http://www.kortefilmonline.ntr.nl , and uploaded January 2011 at my Vimeo channel and at my now obsolete YouTube channel iClip – that’s being archived, while transferring that iClip content to my main channel youtube.com/michelvanderburg as a 2020 edition.
This remake June 9, 2020 is now produced at higher resolution.
20090504
20101130 replaced ‘ClipStills’ by VideoframesWork™
20111215 credits / link info
20120109 french credits
20121030 imported from imichel.com – updated – replaced ‘storyboard’ for ‘VideoframesWork’
20160505 section “More info on TRANSPORT XX and newer film versions was added above
20171130 info on publication of Transport XX face to face on JMDV/Kazerne Dossin site and site ITF / updated links Kazerne Dossin (domain change from .com to eu)
20200125 edited section “More info on TRANSPORT XX and newer film versions” on music video co-production ; and replaced 1 minute film link Vimeo by YouTube link. Added ‘Child’s Cry’ (musical edition of the film Transport XX Face To Face)
20200203 update Child’s Cry section
20200609 remake (4K) of the 2010 final cut ‘Transport XX – face to face’ published.
Storyboard* – framework of video stills – of upcoming video “TRANSPORT XX” on youtube/channel012
URL https://www.youtube.com/channel012
* formerly named ‘ClipStills’ (text in image)
A video impression of a walk along the “TRANSPORT XX” installation in Brussels (an event organised by the BELvue Museum from 27 January to 15 March 2009) that presented photographic portraits of Jews who were to be taken from Malines (Belgium) on 19 april 1943 to Auschwitz.
Dutch-Nederlands
Binnenkort op channel012 een video-impressie van een wandeling langs de “TRANSPORT XX” installatie in Brussel (georganiseerd door het BELvue Museum van 27 Jan tot 15 Maart 2009) met portretfoto’s van de joden die gedeporteerd werden van Mechelen (België) op 19 april 1943 naar Auschwitz.
French/Français
Bientôt à channel012 une vidéo de l’installation “Transport XX” – une série de portraits photos des juifs qui devaient être emmenés de Malines à Auschwitz le 19 avril 1943 (organisée par le BELvue Musée à Bruxelles – 27 janvier au 15 mars 2009 – le long du Parc Royal juste en face du Palais Royal de Bruxelles).
Credits
The Kazerne Dossin ( http://www.kazernedossin.eu/ ) digitalised the photo’s of the Dossin prisoners, that mostly are from the “National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files”
( http://www.arch.be/ )
With the ‘Give Them a Face’ project the Kazerne Dossin aims to bring together as many portraits of deportees from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen as possible and give them back their face – and the memory alive.
Storyboard TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels | 20090408 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com – CC BY SA 3.0
Update info:
Update 20101130: replaced text ‘ClipStills’ by VideoframesWork™
Update 20111215 credits / link info
Posted by michelvanderburg – Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Republished 20220618 by Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com , from imichel•com | imichel•blogspot•com | 20090408 .
Note (20220618): The image burned in caption has text ‘ClipStills’ that was replaced in later years in post text by VideoframesWork , and elsewhere again later by the final choice ‘Storyboard’. Now replaced Storyboard here too for both ClipStills (in original post title) and VideoframesWork (in post body text).
TAGS #Auschwitz #Belgium #BELvue #Brussel #Brussels #Bruxelles #channel012 #convoy #deportation #holocaust #installation #Jew #JMDR #KazerneDossin #Malines #Mechelen #michelvanderburg #shoah #TransportXX #republish #imichel #imichelcom #blogspot #blogger #1Memo #michelvanderburg #storyboard #ClipStills #VideoframesWork
