Meyer Girl by Marcel Hastir 1939 | 20210408 | 1-memo•com
Portrait of the little girl Meyer painted by Marcel Hastir (1906-2011, painter, philosopher, resistance fighter) in his Brussels’ atelier in 1939, shortly before she was deported with her parents and destroyed in a crematorium.
Oil painting shown to me by Horst Schroeder April 19, 2013 at the 70th commemoration of Transport XX to Auschwitz in Atelier Marcel Hastir, Brussels, Belgium. Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2021.
Little star Liesje Poons, 9 years-old, wins the first prize at the masquerade ball (bal masqué) organised by Stella Fontaine in 1932 at the Bellevue theater in Amsterdam, Holland.
A show with costumed children doing acts like imitating an indian, magician, Russian, and dancer Liesje Poons dancing on ‘Dass ist die Liebe der Matrose’. With dutch songs like, ‘In Holland staat een huis’, ‘Waarom zijn de bananen krom’.
Dutch diva Stella Fontaine (Saartje Kanes, 1889-1966) – born in a Jewish Amsterdam family – was a cabaret artist, imitator, actress and singer.
Liesje (Elisabeth Cornelia Poons) born 1 July 1922 in a Jewish Amsterdam family of artists – active in the world of theater and music – became a singer , performing eg. July 1940 in the Amsterdam Carré theater, and May 1943 in Leiden (newspaper Leidsche Courant May 8, 1943).
Elisabeth Cornelia (Liesje) Poons at the age of around 6 years, ca. 1928. Source : Joods Historisch Museum | JCK
Newspaper advertisement with both Liesje Poons and her father Sylvain Poons performing in Operette in the Amsterdam Carré theater July 1940 :
De Boemel Baron CARRÉ Operette | Piet Köhler … Liesje Poons – Sylvain Poons ….
In Nieuwe Amsterdamsche Courant | Algemeen Handelsblad Saturday 6 July 1940
Source : National Library of the Netherlands – Koninklijke Bibliotheek. URL: http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KBNRC01:000052467:mpeg21:pdf
Newspaper advertisement with Liesje Poons singing with Dance orchestra of Harry Pohl, May 1943 :
Leiden Stadsgehoorzaal theater Sunday 9 May | Dance orchestra Harrij Pohl with chansonnière Liesje Poons …
Source : Leidsche Courant May 8, 1943, page 3
URL: https://leiden.courant.nu/issue/LC/1943-05-08/edition/0/page/3?query=
Liesje Poons and father Sylvain Poons in Operette Boemelbaron. Source Nieuwe Amsterdamsche Courant | Algemeen Handelsblad Saturday 6 July 1940
Credits
Film source: Polygoontoon (Producer | March 7, 1932) courtesy of Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Open Images).
Stella’s Stars in Amsterdam 1932 | 20210307 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg•com | Miracles•Media | CC BY 4.0
Jewish Resistance ~ Book : Jewish Resistance Against the Nazis, edited by Henry Patrick | Catholic University of America Press ISBN 9780813225890 ~ Film : 20200912 Michel van der Burg | 1-memo•com
Righteous Medal ~ Medal of the Righteous Among the Nations – from the Yad Vashem holocaust center in Israel for the Righteous helping Jews during the Holocaust – with the inscription in French ” The grateful Jewish people” and the French translation of the Jewish saying “Whoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe”.
This medal was minted for Nelly Quintard, a widow in her fifties during the war, who hid the Frankenthal family (Abraham, Esther, and daughter Scheindel) in her home in Brussels, Belgium, from September ’42 until the end of the occupation.
Interview with Janiv Stamberger (researcher Kazerne Dossin / University of Antwerp) filmed by Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com) on August 18, 2016 at the Wiki Loves Art event in Kazerne Dossin , Mechelen , Belgium.
Robert Maistriau’s memorabilia – Yad Vashem medal, pistol, small version lantern of Robert Maistriau in Kazerne Dossin , Mechelen , Belgium , August 18, 2016. Image Ref.: mvdb20160818_204617 by Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0
A very special image (Image Ref.: mvdb20160818_204617) is that of Robert Maistriau’s medal together with his other memorabilia in the Kazerne Dossin Museum – a pistol, and a small replica version (gift from a friend) of the lantern used with the attack on the 20th death train (Transport XX) from Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen to Auschwitz .
Righteous Medal | 20200820 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | Miracles•Media
Image The Other ~
Expo ‘The Image of the Other’ filmed March 18, 2014 in the Brussels Bequinage church.
Imaging the Other , Imagining Danger. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous? Does the comparison with contemporary cartoons hold up?
Quote :
“The Image of the Other wants to dwell on the image of the ‘Other’ : ‘the Black’, ‘the Jew’ , ‘the Turk’ , ‘the Heretic’. Examples from the Flemish and Dutch religious art from around 1450 – 1750 reflects this perception.
In art , the ‘Other’ is often stereotyped. Works of medieval or renaissance now give us the impression of being racist or discriminatory. But what about our newspapers and advertisements” Are they doing so much better?
The way in which the ‘Other’ is imagined should better not be underestimated as this could lead to serious consequences. For example, certain stereotypical views remain for decades and these biases can be part of our overall imaging. This process can even develop into structural racism. In that sense, there is a certain danger in the images of the other from the past. So we are quite critical of the thousands of images that we see every day.” — Quote from the installation ‘DE ANDERE VERBEELD / VERBEELD GEVAAR’ (The Image of the Other / Imaginary Danger) by ORBIT.
With this exhibition ORBIT wants to critically analyze our view of “the other”, past and present. ORBIT not only wants to dwell on the portrayal of ‘the other’ in Christian art, but also wants to dwell on today’s portrayal in the media. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous?
Thanks to Karen Wyckmans , Heritage Project Coordinator | Project “De Andere Verbeeld” (The Image of the Other) | ORBIT – http://www.orbitvzw.be . More info at site https://deandereverbeeld.wordpress.com .
Thanks also to priest Daniel Alliët – host of both the expo and the concurrent Afghan Refugee Camp (March 2014) in the Brussels Beguinage Church (Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage – Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste au Grand Béguinage ) – now House of Compassion – http://www.houseofcompassion.brussels .
In the background sound of the Afghan Refugee Camp and the Béguinage church pipe organ played during music lessons by Félix Snyers and student.
From the Beguinage Project by Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland).
Film : Image The Other | 20200801 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media
Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition .
A video impression filmed February 2009 , of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
The TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels was organised from 27 January to 15 March 2009 by the BELvue Museum in collaboration with the JMDR / Kazerne Dossin. The photographic portraits were displayed outside in the Royal park in Brussels (opposite the Royal Palace).
On April 19, 1943 at 10 p.m. the 20th train convoy departed the Dossin barracks (Kazerne Dossin) in Mechelen (Belgium) with 40 cattle cars crammed with 1631 Jewish men, women and children for Auschwitz (Poland). The in Belgium captured Jews were over 90% ‘foreigners’ (with no Belgian nationality) who either when war broke out or (many) years earlier had fled from mainly Eastern Europe, Germany and Holland to Belgium. Half an hour after the departure of this transport XX three young Belgians from Brussels, Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau stopped the train between Boortmeerbeek and Haacht, opened one of the cars and liberated 17 prisoners. Later before the train reaches the German border over 200 other prisoners decide to attempt to escape and also jump out of the cars. In total 236 people were able to escape, but 26 were shot and killed trying to escape.
This 20th transport arrived at Auschwitz on April 22 with 1395 deportees. Only approximately 151 of those on board survived this and later death camps. This was the only documented attack on a death train during the Shoah.
More on Transport XX – including the documentary film Transport XX to Auschwitz – at my web site here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/ .
TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels | 2009 film .
First film edition “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels”.
A first edition of this film entitled “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels” was published on 19 april 2009 via my YouTube channel – and that version was also added in 2009 to the collection of the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (Mechelen, Belgium).
Transport XX face to face | 2010 film .
The 2nd edition named “Transport XX face to face” has some editing corrections and a new title and credits.
This edition 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. Remake 2010 film.
A remake at higher resolution , was published June 9, 2020.
Transport XX face to face | 1 minute film .
The 2010 second edition was used for the special 1 minute production “Transport XX face to face” selected in 2010 by The One Minutes and the dutch Museum of National History (innl) – see post 20200607.
Het XXste Transport naar Auschwitz | Marc Michiels & Mark Van den Wijngaert | ISBN 9789059089808
A DVD edition of that one minute film was screened at the book presentation April 2012 ‘Het XXste Transport naar Auschwitz’ by Marc Michiels & Mark Van den Wijngaert at the Boortmeerbeek townhall (note a new edition was published last year , ISBN 978 90 5908 980 8 ) , and next at the 2012 Transport XX commemoration and the war photography exhibition ‘Our World, at War’ from April 16 – May 31 , 2012 in the HaBoBIB public library in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium.
Storyboard film Transport XX face <> face | 2012 edition
Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition .
This edition presented here is the 2012 film that was reworked – the opening and closing street scenes were deleted – and published April 2012 as Transport XX face <> face (2012 film) online via Vimeo , and distributed in a limited DVD edition of both that film version and also a ‘loop’ version of the film, to the Boortmeerbeek commemoration organization (together with the 1 minute film DVD edition – see above).
Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition | 20200611 release
Today (20200611) this 2012 edition is published in higher resolution as part of my project to republish former Vimeo uploads at my YouTube channel (both to improve and secure screening and archiving).
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/ ) .
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (Belgium) and project “Give them a Face” which 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.
Film : Transport XX face < > face | 2012 edition – 20200611 release | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media .
Transport XX – face to face .
Portraits of Jews deported to Auschwitz in 1943 .
A video impression filmed February 2009 , of the confrontation of passers-by with the TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels, that presented photographic portraits of 1,200 of the 1,631 Jewish prisoners deported with the 20th train convoy to Auschwitz in 1943.
More on Transport XX – including the documentary film Transport XX to Auschwitz – at my web site here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/ .
Making of the film .
Note that this movie originally started as pure registration – in a few ‘long takes’ – of these quite overwhelming visual impressions from my first encounter with this installation (not yet aware actually of the factual history of these portraits). Only the next day, after completing the capturing of 4 long takes while walking back and forth the rows of portraits – did I read the caption halfway the installation, and first became aware of the background, more or less: that is, the history and ‘identity’ of the portraits and this ‘transport’. This prompted the idea for this visual account with the superimposed montage of the imagery of two of the takes, combined with the ambient sound (with of the lowest levels of wind noise) of a third take.
First film edition “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels”.
A first edition of this film entitled “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels” was published on 19 april 2009 via my YouTube channel – and that version was also added in 2009 to the collection of the Dossin Barracks / Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (Mechelen, Belgium). Link:
.
Final cut “Transport XX face to face”.
This ‘final cut’ now named “Transport XX face to face” has some editing corrections and a new title and credits.
This edition 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 .
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/ ) .
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (Belgium) and project “Give them a Face” which 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.
Film : Transport XX — face to face (20200609) Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media .
