Lanterns ceremony today Sunday April 23, 2023, in Boortmeerbeek following a bike ride from Brussels , honoring Youra Livschitz, Robert Maistriau, and Jean Franklemon, who 80 years ago – the night of April 19th 1943 – came on bike from Brussels to Boortmeerbeek to attack and stop with a lantern the deportation train ‘Transport XX’ heading for Auschwitz, and liberate Jewish prisoners from one of the cattle cars.
License info : Lanterns Ceremony Transport XX | 20230423 | Miracles•Media | TakeNode 6a799396-0b4f-4352-85b4-f1a58d27e184
Robert’s shirt with sewn up bullet holes | 20230409 | Miracles•Media | Shirt the 14 year old Robert was wearing when shot in his chest as he jumped April 19, 1943 from the 20th convoy – together with his parents Bertha and Eddy Rottenberg. Detail of the neatly sewn up bullet holes is shown in the bottom-right image. Photo’s taken Nov. 19, 2012 by Audrey Rogers Furfaro and edited by Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com).
Update — A Story of Transport XX – April 19, 1943 – by Audrey Rogers Furfaro | 20230409 | Miracles•Media | Story originally told April 2008 by Audrey Rogers Furfaro, and next posted Nov 2012 at michelvanderburg•com illustrated with the shirt the 14 year old Robert was wearing when shot in his chest as he jumped April 19, 1943 from the 20th convoy – together with his parents Bertha and Eddy Rottenberg.
Story now updated – with a portrait of Bobby and his parents in Bruxelles, 1941.
A new finding – published at the current 236 exhibition in Brussels – is the location were the family escaped – they were numbers 722, 723, and 724. The Rottenberg family jumped close to Houppertingen, just before the site Simon Gronowski jumped, before Borgloon. That map is showing in a recent video of the vernisage of the ‘236’ project:
Town Hall Jazz Simon Gronowski’s Orchestra | 20220904 | Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media | Some Of These Days by Simon Gronowski and his Orchestra with André Ronsse (sax, clarinet) – René De Smaele (trumpet, vocals) – Jean-Luc Van Lommel (drum) – Bart De Nolf (double bass) and Simon Gronowski (piano) in concert at the Town Hall of Brussels, Belgium, April 30, 2015. Special thanks to Brussels’ alderman Alain Courtois – Service Seniors de la ville de Bruxelles | Dienst senioren van de Stad Brussel.
( Final edit of yesterday’s film Some Of These Days | Simon Gronowski Orchestra | 20220903 ) TakeNode ID: 9ab6cb2c-262c-4405-be42-8fe55e730d88
Some Of These Days by Simon Gronowski and his Orchestra with André Ronsse (sax, clarinet) – René De Smaele (trumpet, vocals) – Jean-Luc Van Lommel (drum) – Bart De Nolf (double bass) and Simon Gronowski (piano) in concert at the Town Hall of Brussels, Belgium, April 30, 2015. Special thanks to Brussels’ alderman Alain Courtois – Service Seniors de la ville de Bruxelles | Dienst senioren van de Stad Brussel.
Film : Some Of These Days | Simon Gronowski Orchestra | 20220903 | Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media | Remastered clip from DVD edition of the full film ‘Simon Gronowski and his Orchestra — Brussels 2015’ – cropped rough cut #2 film from one of two cameras dedicated for sound recording. TakeNode ID: 7e05dca5-6981-487a-8eae-646ce5bbdccd
Couture Courage Congo – Atelier Marcel Hastir 2015
(FR dessous / below)
The courage of african women
Congolese Fashion Parade « Dignity by creating couture » at the Atelier Marcel Hastir – Brussels – August 3, 2015
For the Young Congolese Women’s Group – DJFC , Kikwit , DR Congo & the Robert Maistriau Foundation
A short film* by Michel van der Burg
FR Couture Courage Congo – Atelier Marcel Hastir 2015
Le courage des femmes africaines
Défilé de robes « La dignité par la création couturière » à l’Atelier Marcel Hastir – Bruxelles , 3 août 2015
Pour la « Dynamique de la Jeunesse Féminine Congolaise ASBL » DJFC , Kikwit , DR Congo & la « Fondation Robert Maistriau ASBL »
Un court-métrage* de Michel van der Burg
Mr. Avi Mizrachi spoke on the special events, that they are planning together with Young Israel of Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale (Florida, US) in the coming Holocaust Days of Remembrance Week.
Avi Mizrachi – “This film is a documentary film that probably documented the only attempt by … any underground [to attack] … a transport train that was taking Belgium Jews to Auschwitz. They managed to stop the train and about two hundred people escaped. This is really a unique story, that was shot on location, and actually … interviewed some of the survivors that managed to be rescued and survived. …
And the other thing about this particular event : One of the film producers – Mr. Richard Bloom – who is actually living in Palm Beach – wil join us immediately following the film to share … how he with a Dutch producer [ Mr. Michel van der Burg ] went about to produce this film. …
And, in addition, we have … a high school teacher from Belgium [ Mr. Philippe Renette ] who is visiting us this particular week – and he teaches holocaust history in his public high school [ Institut Saint-Sépulcre ] in Liège [ Belgium ]. …
He will join us as well – because he met some of the survivors and invited them to his school to share with the students.
So it … [ will ] give the public an amazing access to … not just the film itself , but to the people that actually were involved in the production of it .. and the teaching of the subject. …
That film shows the bravery of a handful of people who despite the horrible … the odds – they went to attack a transport – a nazi train – and it’s the only documented event in the holocaust. …
This is the lesson that hopefully the people will take from that kind of film : that despite the horrible things happening around us .. if you have the courage, you can change things, and you can save people …
The second event – Thursday, April 16, 2015, 7:00 pm at Temple Sinai of Hollywood – Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Memorial Day Program Avi Mizrachi – “The second event -a few days later on April 16 – which commemorates the annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance day – we will hold a special program … at Temple Sinai of Hollywood – were we will have holocaust survivors and WW veterans, who will join us to light a special candle … there will be a beautiful program.
And following the program, the public will have an opportunity to sit together with a few holocaust survivors and to listen to their personal stories of what happened to them during the time – and how they managed to stand up and live an amazing life …
And this year will also mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the camps.”
Joyce Kaufman – “Thank you Avi. People are still trying to do the right thing, and that’s what the theme of that movie is – fighting unbeatable odds ….”
*Quotes and transcription by Michel van der Burg from the podcast episode “850 WFTL The Joyce Kaufman Show Wednesday 03-25-2015 (Hr. 3)”. From the Joyce Kaufman Show 850 WFTL podcast via iTunes
