Willy & Settela | Born Nomad

Poster image above : Willy – Settela’s older brother – photographed by Jan de Jong, when playing the violin at the age of around 7 years old.

Willy & Settela | Born Nomad | 20210519 | Settela•Com
(silent film)

In 1935 the nomadic Sinti families Steinbach were photographed by Dutch photographer Jan de Jong in their caravan camp on the heath around the Heksenberg hill in the southern Netherlands. Jan de Jong was working for De Spaarnestad publishing house of the dutch weekly, catholic, illustrated magazine “Katholieke Illustratie” , that used his high quality pictures in this May 1936 spread (REF 1), with a somewhat simple romanticized short story on their origin and culture – entitled ‘Zwervers van geboorte’ or ‘Born nomad’ (my translation).

Members of other Steinbach families, I recognized in this magazine spread in the caravan window image with caption ‘Buurpraatje’ (my tr. ‘Neighbor chat’), are Anna Steinbach in the window (born 24 March 1916 – killed 31 July 1944 in Auschwitz) talking with Maria Steinbach (born 6 Nov 1912 – killed 31 July 1944 in Auschwitz) .

The 15 year old Willy (Celestinus) Steinbach (born 13 Feb 1929 in Heerlen) was deported together with his 9-year old sister Settela ((Anna Maria) Steinbach (born 23 Dec 1934 in Buchten), their brothers, sisters (Willem, Elisabeth, Johanna, Philibert, Florentina, Willem, Anna), and mother Toetela (Emilia) Steinbach (born 23 March 1902 in Antwerp, Belgium), with other Steinbach and other nomad families – all together ca 245 Sinti and Roma and ca 450 Jews – on May 19th 1944 from the dutch Camp Westerbork to Auschwitz — and some, like Willy, later to other camps.
Toetela’s eldest child Moekela (Magdalena; born 14 Sep 1922) had gone to Belgium and had been deported earlier – 15 Jan 1944 – with her 6 months old baby Jeanette – Toetela’s granddaughter – on the Z-Transport from Mechelen to Auschwitz, were they were murdered on arrival.
Note : I found Jeanette on the Transport lists in the image bank of Kazerne Dossin, Mechelen – but not yet her mother Magdalena.
Settela’s father Moeselman (Heinrich) Steinbach (born Nov 11, 1901 in Gründorf in Germany) died alone of grief June 6, 1946 in Maastricht in the Netherlands – his wife and 10 children had not survived the camps.
Their deporatation was filmed for the Westerbork Film by Rudolf Breslauer (REF 2).
This post is based on the story of the Steinbach families as researched in detail and published in book (REF 3) and film (REF 4) by Rob Hendrikx and Marouska Steinbach.

Update May 20, 2021 – Minor corrections in text , plus more detailed family information added. Poster image film replaced with clearer portrait image of Willy.

TAGS #Willy #Settela #brother #1Memo #MiraclesMedia #michelvanderburg #Holland #Westerbork #Porajmos #Holocaust #genocide #WesterborkFilm #violin #Celestinus #boy #headscarf #Sinti #Roma #Jew #Celestinus #Steinbach #JandeJong #Heksenberg #caravan #photography #nomad

Below – because of space and linking constraints on social media – the references, source and full credits on websites only – eg. of Settela•Com

CREDITS & REFERENCES

1 – Source – photography Jan de Jong – in ‘Zwervers van Geboorte’ | Katholieke Illustratie 7 mei 1936 No 32 (Haarlem, Spaarnestad) via Delpher archive URL https://bit.ly/3f1jv90

2 – Westerbork Film | Full version RVD 1986 | 20190605 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com (accessed 2021 May 19) URL: https://wp.me/p91enH-1x

3 – Story based on book : Settela en Willy en Het geheim van de Heksenberg (2e druk) by Rob Hendrikx and Marouska Steinbach (Heerlen : Historisch Goud – Rijckheyt, centrum voor regionale geschiedenis en Stichting Historische Kring “Het Land van Herle”, April 2017) ISBN 9789082241686. URL https://www.landvanherle.nl/product/settela-en-willy-en-het-geheim-van-de-heksenberg-2e-druk/

4 – Story based on Films : ‘Settela en Willy’ by Rob Hendrikx & Marouska Steinbach | lifepowervideo YouTube user | (accessed 2021 May 19) Deel 1 Historische Gebeurtenissen link https://youtu.be/1wI9_vt9RlY | Deel 4 Holocaust Slachtoffers https://youtu.be/wVta6g6Mo1o

Willy & Settela | Born Nomad | 20210519 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com

Updates

20220604 – Format changes credit line , references

ANONYM | Girl with the headscarf … | 20210416

ANONYM | Girl with the headscarf …
(silent film)

Who is she ?

This frightened, dark-eyed girl with a white headscarf – anonymous icon of the holocaust … a few seconds in the unique Westerbork Film. Raw footage shot by Camp Westerbork inmate Rudolf Breslauer during World War II in Holland.

Early 1990s – 50 years later – little is known about this Westerbork film. Dutch journalist Aad Wagenaar starts searching for the girl’s name. Project ‘Esther’ – his working title.
Key finding together with the Camp Westerbork Memorial Centre researchers Gerard Rossing en Koert Broersma analyzing the film footage, is the inscription on the suitcase of that woman brought on a stretcher to that transport. Close inspection of that suitcase – flipping the image – viewing the film frame by frame – to and fro – revealed her name and birthdate : F.KROON
26.9.82

In this video I also inverted the black–white.
Further , a clearer image is possible now in the still presented here – likewise edited – taken from the higher quality , recently recovered ‘camera-original’ film found on other archived reels by Gerard Nijssen for the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision | NIOD – and published Jan 20, 2020.

That special train car with Settela, car #16, with the 74 pers. mark on the vertical shelves, was also part of that train filmed by camp inmate Rudolf Breslauer leaving Westerbork – with the ‘4’ crossed out and a 5 added – so one person had been added before departure.

On that stretcher was Frouwke Kroon – born 26 September 1882 – deported May 19, 1944 – and murdered on arrival in Auschwitz.
That train left Camp Westerbork on May 19, 1944 with ca 700 people – both Jews and 245 Sinti and Roma – the so-called ‘Gypsy transport’ – dutch: ‘Zigeunertransport’.

The girl with the headscarf got her name back Monday 7th February 1994, when Aad Wagenaar met survivor ‘Gypsy mama’ Theresia Crasa Wagner . She told him, she sat on the floor behind the girl , standing near the door. When they heard the doors being closed , her mother yelled :

‘Settela !
Get away from the door, or your head will get stuck !!’

The Dutch Sinti girl Settela (Anna Maria) Steinbach was born – the traditional way , under the family wagon – on 23 December 1934 in Buchten in the Dutch province of Limburg.

Settela’s family had been arrested 3 days before they were deported. Settela’s hair was shaved off in Camp Westerbork – hence the ‘headscarf’ made by her mother.
Mother Toetela (Emilia) Steinbach with ten children and a grandchild were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The 9-year old Settela was gassed and burned early August 1944.
Settela’s father Moeselman (Heinrich) Steinbach died of grief in 1946 in Holland.

Credits

Filmed by Rudolf Breslauer 19 May 1944 in Camp Westerbork, Netherlands.
Video from Westerbork film montage reel 1 (RVD cat.nr. 02-1167-01) courtesy of NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (KNAW), and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.
Still (edit by Michel van der Burg) from camera-original film published Jan 20, 2020 courtesy of Gerard Nijssen | Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision | NIOD | NOS.

Story based on :
* Settela, het meisje heeft haar naam terug (1995-2007) by Aad Wagenaar ISBN 9789089751898 / English translation by Janna Eliot ‘Settela’ (2005-2016) ISBN 978-0-9933898-2-5 .
* Documentary film Settela, gezicht van het verleden by Cherry Duyns (VPRO, 1994).
* Kamp Westerbork gefilmd by Koert Broersma and Gerard Rossing (editors Dirk Mulder and Ben Prinsen; ISBN 9023232658 .
* Westerbork Film | Full version RVD 1986 | 20190605 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com (accessed 2021 Apr 16) URL: https://wp.me/p91enH-1x
* Nieuwe beelden van iconische Westerborkfilm gevonden (by Ronja Hijmans | NIEUWSUUR | NOS (accessed 2020 Jan 20) URL https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2319497-nieuwe-beelden-van-iconische-westerborkfilm-gevonden.html
* Settela en Willy en Het geheim van de Heksenberg (2e druk) by Rob Hendrikx and Marouska Steinbach (Heerlen : Historisch Goud – Rijckheyt, centrum voor regionale geschiedenis en Stichting Historische Kring “Het Land van Herle”, April 2017) ISBN 9789082241686. URL https://www.landvanherle.nl/product/settela-en-willy-en-het-geheim-van-de-heksenberg-2e-druk/
* ‘Sinti en Roma in Den Haag, voor, tijdens en na de Tweede Wereldoorlog (1900-1970)’ by Peter Jorna (Haags Gemeentearchief, 2021) PDF online (accessed 2021 Apr 15) URL https://www.owrs.nl/nieuws/nieuw-boek-sinti-en-roma-in-den-haag
* The Forgotten Genocide – The fate of the Sinti and Roma. Online exhibition by Tweedewereldoorlog.nl . Including a clip of the interview by journalist Aad Wagenaar with Crasa Wagner ; from documentary Settela, gezicht van het verleden, directed by Cherry Duyns (VPRO 1994) (accessed 2021 Apr 15) URL https://romasinti.eu

TAGS #girl #Settela #headscarf #anonymous #Sinti #Roma #Jew #1Memo #MiraclesMedia #michelvanderburg #Holland #Westerbork #Porajmos #Holocaust #genocide #identification #Wagenaar #WesterborkFilm

Updates

20220604 – Format changes credit line , references

Embrace Installation

Placing of Koenraad Tinel’s work of art EMBRACE – a translation of his remarkable friendship with lawyer Simon Gronowski – in Ganshoren , Brussels , Belgium, October 22, 2018.

A sculpture on Simon Gronowski’s jump to freedom at the age of 11, when pushed by his mother out of the 20th death train to Auschwitz in 1943.

Watch the inauguration panorama October 26, 2018 here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2018/10/26/embrace/

Both Koenraad Tinel and Simon Gronowski together received honorary doctorates (doctor honoris causa) by both the VUB and ULB Brussels’ universities today Sep. 22th 2020 at 3:22 PM CET in Brussels.
Embrace Installation | 20200922 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | Miracles.Media

Wonderlust

Wonderlust
NL – Wonderlust – Discussie over de kunst, rol en begeerte van en voor verwondering in een mooi leven.

EN – Wonderlust for the world and life. Discussion (in dutch).

Paperback : Wonderlust – Pat Donnez, Jean Paul van Bendegem & Caroline Pauwels | ISBN 9789057189005 e-book 9789057189142 | VUBPRESS. Film : 20200320 Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | 1-memo.com

Wonder Ode ~ Caroline Pauwels

NL – Waarom is de zee blauw ?
‘Ode aan de verwondering’ is een pleidooi van Caroline Pauwels om opnieuw met die ‘kinderlijk’ onbevangen blik naar de wereld te kijken , met verwondering – niet alleen in wetenschap en kunst , maar ook in de grote en kleine momenten van elke dag.

EN – Why is the sea blue?
Ode to Wonder (dutch language essay ‘Ode aan de verwondering’) is a plea by Belgian author Caroline Pauwels to look at the world again with that childlike open-mindedness – to wonder, not just in science and art, but also in all these big and small moments of everyday life.

Child’s Cry

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, and Samuel Truzman.
A special co-production for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020.

Comment by Samuel Truzman :
“Esta canción la escribimos cuando teníamos 16 años, con unos amigos con los que tenía una banda que se llamaba So Seven. La fuerza y el impacto de la canción y el sentimiento es el mismo, nunca olvidar.
Escrita por: Simon Lapscher, Bimbi y yo.”

English translation of Samuel’s comment (by me):
“This song we wrote when we were 16 years with some friends that had a band called So Seven. The strength and impact of the song and the feeling is the same, never forget.
Written by: Simon Lapscher, Bimbi and Samuel Truzman.”

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.
Note : The film edition posted January 25, 2020 (20200125) is replaced by this Feb. 2, 2020 edition (20200202).
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 continue

The death of the jew was proclaimed
He was laughing mercilessly
The cry of that child burned us
Let the heat continue
Uncertain life
Reality.

Embrace ~ Google Maps

Embrace ~ Google Maps
Google message ‘Your added place is making a difference’:
On the map 10,000 views today Jan. 21, 2020 at the ‘Embrace’ landmark I added the day before the inauguration of the work of art EMBRACE (October 26, 2018) by Koenraad Tinel – translation of his remarkable friendship with lawyer Simon Gronowski – at the foot of the Basilica Koekelberg in Ganshoren , Brussels , Belgium.
Watch the original panorama here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2018/10/26/embrace/
The place needed a more recent photo – that I added today 😉
Embrace – art by Koenraad Tinel in Ganshoren , Brussels , Belgium.
Film : 20200121 Michel van der Burg | 1-memo.com | miracles.media