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.
Transport XX Face to Face
This 1 minute film is a video impression (February 28th, 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.
Transport XX to Auschwitz
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 233 people attempted to escape, and 188 did succeed. Unfortunately also 26 were killed and 89 others recaptured and interned or put on future trains to Auschwitz. This 20th transport arrived at Auschwitz on April 22. Only 153 of those on board survived this death camp. This was the only documented attack on a death train during the Shoah.
More on Transport XX in the 1 hour documentary film ‘Transport XX to Auschwitz’ – a film by Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/
Project “Give them a Face”
The Kazerne Dossin (project “Give them a Face”) 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”
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).
Thank you: Marjan Verplancke and other co-workers of the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance (JMDR) in Mechelen (Malines, Belgium) and project “Give them a Face”.
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.
For this special ‘The One Minute’ edition, the original film of around 3 minutes was edited to a 1-minute cut.
‘Transport XX – Face to Face’ by Michel van der Burg premiered at the ‘Where history starts’ festival by The One Minutes and the Museum of National History (innl) in theater Paradiso , November 28, 2010, Amsterdam, Netherlands. That ‘Where history starts’ series of 1 minute films was also released by theoneminutes foundation in 2010 on DVD (limited edition). That original 2010 1-minute film contained no title nor credits. The title and credits were added in the 2012 edition of the 1-minute film that I made available on DVD and also online (that 2012 edition is republished here in larger format and modified endscreen).
Online the 2010 edition was first shown in a short documentary of the premiere screening via Vimeo (#35784512) 27 January 2012, and the 2012 (DVD) edition with credits was published via Vimeo (#40331755 – vimeo.com/michelvanderburg/txx1minute ) 13 April 2012, and via Youtube at the now dormant iClip channel Apr 19, 2012.
This 2020 edition
Now (January 2020) a 4K edition is published – new online at my main YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/michelvanderburg ) and new also at the today started Instagram account Miracles.Media ( @miracles.media ).
Transport XX Face to Face ~ The One Minutes
This 1 minute film is a video impression (February 28th, 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.
Event : TRANSPORT XX installation by the BELvue Museum / JMDR / Kazerne Dossin, February 28, 2009, Brussels, Belgium.
Original film version : ‘TRANSPORT XX — installation Brussels’ – published online April 19, 2009 by Michel van der Burg | https://michelvanderburg.com/2009/04/19/transport-xx-installation-brussels/ .
This 1 minute film ‘Transport XX – Face to Face’ by Michel van der Burg premiered at the ‘Where history starts’ festival by The One Minutes and the Museum of National History (innl) in theater Paradiso , November 28, 2010, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Instagram : @miracles.media @theoneminutes @michelvanderburg @kazernedossin @belvuemuseum @paradisoadam Full info posted at https://michelvanderburg.com/2020/01/10/ Film : Transport XX Face to Face (20200110) Michel van der Burg | miracles.media
Message To Kazerne Dossin
Behind the scenes working on Miracles film. Typing a last message in the guest book at a film location scouting visit October 19, 2013 with Philippe Renette at the Kazerne Dossin Museum in Mechelen, Belgium .
“Echt onder de indruk.
Een museum voor de jongere generaties.
Nooit meer vergeten en zorgen dat het nooit meer gebeurt.
Respect en verdraagzaamheid. — Philippe Renette
Translation :
Really impressed.
A museum for the younger generations.
Never forget and ensure that it never happens again.
Respect and tolerance.
Credits
Message To Kazerne Dossin
Behind the Scenes Miracles film October 19, 2013 with Philippe Renette.
Film (20191005) Michel van der Burg | miracles.media
Sculpture ‘les Sentinelles de la Mémoire’ from the Belgian sculptor Nat Neujean ( natneujean.be ) filmed January 26, 2017 in the Kazerne Dossin museum, Mechelen , Belgium ① memo 20190129 ~ Guards of Memory
Viviane and Simon Gronowski meet for the first time in Los Angeles, April 2018 , after they both escaped 75 years ago in the night of April 19th 1943 from that fast moving death train Transport XX to Auschwitz – Simon at the time an 11-year-old boy pushed from the train by his mother Chana , and Viviane still in the womb of her 3-months pregnant mother Isabella.
Today 75 years ago Viviane (meaning ‘full of life’) was born in Brussels – 6 months after she had escaped death that night in April 1943 – thanks to the courage of her pregnant mother Isabella Weinreb , when Isabella jumped in Belgium from that cattle car of Transport XX heading for Auschwitz. She today celebrates her 75th birthday in Los Angeles.
When Simon Gronowski , from Brussels , was visiting LA in April this year – to tell his story and reunite with his childhood friend Alice Weit – Viviane fortunately was able to meet Simon , together with her girls – (grand)daughters – for the first time.
Photo – Simon with Viviane and her girls – thanks to Sébastien De Nys / Viviane
Film ① memo 20181030 ~ Viviane & Simon ~ Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | 1-memo.com | miracles.media
① memo 20180419 ~ Full of Life … Escape from Transport XX ~ Today 75 years ago , 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.
Discussion – moderated by Ingrid Vander Veken – of Simone Korkus’ dutch book “Het dienstmeisje van Degrelle” on 15 oktober 2017 in Kazerne Dossin , Mechelen , Belgium.
This new short film (with english captions / partly english spoken) highlights our discussion in that ‘Literary Cafe’ on Oct. 15, 2017 in Kazerne Dossin, of Elias’ rescue of Isabella and Vivian ; it continues with our visit later to the Kazerne Dossin portrait wall (portrait’s of deported people) with Simone Korkus and Jan Maes (the first to point Simone to Hannah’s story) ; and ends with me having a short improvised talk in english with a visitor’s couple .
Film ① memo 20180419 ~ Full of Life ~ Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | 1-memo.com | miracles.media
Isabella Weinreb Castegnier was three-months pregnant that night – 75 years ago – on April 19th, 1943 in Belgium – when she froze the moment she had to jump from the fast moving 20th train heading for Auschwitz ( Transport XX to Auschwitz ). The man waiting in line behind her , did not hesitate for a moment , and embracing her from behind , pushed her out – jumping together they both landed in a ditch.
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.
That man saving Isabella and Viviane was Elias Gnazik – we discovered recently in a joint effort – when Simone Korkus had almost finished her book about the life of Elias’ daughter Hannah Gnazik , and contacted me to find out who that woman was that Elias Gnazik helped jump and escape from that cattle car of Transport XX to Auschwitz. For Simone it was a great honor to bring Hannah and Viviane together – the child of the rescuer , and the child of the rescued pregnant woman.
This new story became the epilogue in Simone’s book , written in dutch , called ‘Het Dienstmeisje Van Degrelle’.
During the discussion at the presentation of Simone’s newest book – interviewed by Ingrid Vander Veken – in the Kazerne Dossin museum I asked Simone to tell us something about this spectacular story of the probably youngest that escaped that death train.
Background
Simone Korkus (author , reporter) contacted me via facebook messenger May 2016 asking for information about Mrs Lilly (Wolkenfeld) Schwartz , and telling me Mrs Schwartz had escaped from Transport XX from the same car as Elias Gnazik , the father of Hannah (Gnazik) Nadel.
Simone had actually finished the writing of the story of Hannah (Gnazik) Nadel for her new dutch book “Het dienstmeisje van Degrelle.” but felt she would like to get to know more about Hannah’s father Elias activities in the war.
Mrs Lilly (Wolkenfeld) Schwartz had helped me and Richard from 2011 with our documentary Transport XX to Auschwitz (published 2012, a film by Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg). Mrs Schwartz, unfortunately, had passed away in 2014 .
However , I could help Simone with the story of Mrs Schwartz’s friend Isabella – who had escaped too , right after Mrs Schwartz’s jumped from that car – while being pregnant – with a baby born 6 months after that escape, and named Viviane , meaning ‘full of life’ !
That miraculous story I had first worked on and published together with Viviane in 2014.
Further research by Simone , with the help of Viviane and the researchers of Kazerne Dossin, let Simone to the insight that Isabella had been that pregnant woman Elias Gnazik had helped jumping , and he thus , too had saved Viviane’s life !
Simone Korkus details this beautiful finding and miraculous story in a final chapter – the Epilogue – of her new book , the research , findings , conclusion and her witnessing the emotional meeting of the daughters of the rescuer and rescued in Ramat Gan , Israel.
Sources / links
Viviane Castegnier Yarom & Michel van der Burg (2014) Escape from Transport XX – to be born 6 months later – Viviane’s story.
Michel van der Burg online publication (michelvanderburg.com) link https://wp.me/p14gqN-nq
Book presentation – On Oct. 15th , 2017 , Simone Korkus presented her book in Kazerne Dossin , in a ‘Literary Cafe’ conversation with colleague author Ingrid Vander Veken. I published a full video report of that conversation Nov 4, 2017 . All in dutch. Het Dienstmeisje Van Degrelle – Presentatie – link https://wp.me/p14gqN-nhp
Documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” (2012) A film by Karen Lynne & Richard Bloom and Michel van der Burg https://wp.me/p14gqN-hA
