Vraag 2| How do you deal with a family member who was on the wrong side in the war? (Dutch Spoken)
On 5 May, the Netherlands celebrates 80 years of liberation from German occupation. But what if you discover in the Central Archive of Special Jurisdiction that your own family was on the wrong side in the war? Listen to Pepijn Stoop’s story about his grandmother on Spotify.
In this episode of Vraag 2, editor Jip Koene talks to Folia editor Pepijn Stoop about his grandmother’s collaboration past during the Second World War. During the war, his grandmother worked as a nurse for the German Red Cross, which was closely linked to the SS.
‘My grandmother first worked for the Nederlandsche Kultuurkamer,’ Stoop says. ‘That was a Dutch institute to nazify the media and the arts. Via via, she ended up at the German Red Cross where she volunteered in 1942.’
In the Central Archive of Special Justice, Stoop also found out that his grandmother had taken the Hitler oath in which she swore eternal allegiance to Adolf Hitler. ‘When I read that, I found it so intense,’ he says. ‘You start doubting yourself. Am I also to blame for her role in the war? What does that say about me?’
Since his discovery, Stoop has talked to family a lot. He is also in contact with Werkgroep Herkenning, which offers help to descendants and relatives of ‘wrong’ Dutchmen during World War II.
Listen to the whole story in the latest podcast episode on Spotify.
