Eyewitness to History: Holocaust Survivor Alfred (Al) Münzer

Summary

Alfred Münzer recounts his harrowing experience as a Holocaust survivor in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. His story highlights the heroic actions of a Dutch-Indonesian family and an Indonesian Muslim nanny who risked their lives to save him as a Jewish infant. Despite the tragic fate of his family, which included the deaths of his sisters in Auschwitz and his father's demise post-liberation, Münzer emphasizes the courage and compassion shown by his rescuers. He underscores the importance of resisting hate and bigotry, a lesson he hopes the world learns from his experiences.

Highlights

• Alfred Münzer shares his survival story during the Holocaust thanks to a courageous Dutch-Indonesian family. 🇳🇱
• Despite being hidden, Alfred's family faced unimaginable horrors, with his sisters perishing in Auschwitz. 😔
• Alfred’s father died shortly after liberation, highlighting the war’s lasting impacts. 🕯️
• The love and courage of his rescuers, especially Mima Saïna, made survival possible for Alfred. 💪
• Alfred's powerful message: even in hate, it’s crucial to fight for what is right. 🌍

Key Takeaways

• Heroism comes in many forms, like the bravery shown by the Dutch-Indonesian family who saved Alfred. 🦸‍♂️
• Even amidst horrors like the Holocaust, acts of kindness and love shine through. ❤️
• Alfred’s story is a testament to the power of standing up against hate and bigotry. ✊
• The tragic loss of Alfred's sisters and father underscores the devastation caused by hate. 😢
• Alfred's reunion with his mother teaches the resilience of familial bonds and love after unimaginable separations. 👩‍👦

Overview

Alfred Münzer’s narrative is a powerful testament to human kindness in the face of extreme evil. Born in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, his survival as a Jewish child was possible due to the courage of a Dutch-Indonesian family and their nanny, who risked their own lives to save him. Their bravery painted a picture of hope in a time of darkness.

Tragically, Alfred’s sisters were not as fortunate, falling victim to the horrors of Auschwitz. His father also succumbed shortly after witnessing liberation in 1945, suffering from the long-term impacts of his imprisonment. Amidst this backdrop of sorrow, Alfred’s early years were still marked by love, laughter, and the nurturing embrace of his rescuers.

Reunited with his mother post-war, Alfred's account emphasizes the resilience required to rebuild fractured lives and hearts. His message is clear: the responsibility lies with each of us to combat hatred and ensure such atrocities never happen again. His story remains a stark reminder of the power of love and the necessity of standing up for justice.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction In the 'Introduction' chapter, Alfred Münzer introduces himself as a Holocaust survivor who was born in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. He survived due to the courageous actions of a Dutch-Indonesian family and their Muslim nanny, who risked their own lives to save him as a nine-month-old Jewish baby. Münzer briefly mentions the background of his parents, who were born in Eastern Europe, with his father originating from Kańczuga.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Family Background and Early Life The chapter "Family Background and Early Life" describes the early life of the narrator's parents. They originally lived in a neighboring town called Rymanów. To escape antisemitism and search for better opportunities, they immigrated to the Netherlands, a country historically welcoming to Jews. The narrator's father was the pioneer, starting a men's clothing business in the Hague before his mother joined and they married in November 1932.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Rise of Antisemitism and Family Threats The chapter opens in the time just before Adolf Hitler's ascent to power in Germany, highlighting a period of prosperity for the narrator's family. The narrator's father's business was thriving, and they maintained a diverse social circle, including many non-Jewish friends. In July 1936, the birth of the narrator's first sister, Eva, is celebrated, symbolizing joy amidst an ominous backdrop. However, this joy is short-lived; in November 1938, the birth of the narrator's second sister, Leah, coincides with the distressing events of Kristallnacht, signaling the rise of antisemitism and the onset of family threats.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Beginning of the Holocaust and Hiding The chapter discusses the onset of the Holocaust, focusing on events like the "Night of Broken Glass" in Germany. It highlights the initial sense of safety felt by some Jews in the Netherlands before this was shattered by the German invasion of the country on May 14, 1940. The chapter reflects on the shift from a perceived safe haven to imminent danger as antisemitism spread.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Life in Hiding with the Madna Family The chapter titled 'Life in Hiding with the Madna Family' recounts a personal story from the time of Nazi occupation. In 1941, the narrator's mother found out she was pregnant. Her obstetrician advised her against continuing with the pregnancy, deeming it immoral to bring another Jewish life into a world dominated by the oppressive Nazi regime. Defying this advice, the narrator's mother chose to go through with the pregnancy, leading to the narrator's birth on November 23, 1941.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Fate of Münzer's Sisters and Parents The chapter describes a significant event in Münzer's early life: his bris (circumcision ceremony) which is attended by family and friends. Photographs taken during this ceremony are emphasized as being particularly significant since Münzer's mother kept them with her through her time in 12 concentration camps.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Liberation and Reunion with Mother In August 1942, when the narrator was just nine months old, the family faced a perilous situation as the father received a summons for labor duty, a common precursor to being sent to a concentration camp for Jewish men. Recognizing the imminent threat, the family decided to go into hiding, with the narrator's sisters being placed under the care of two devout Catholics.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Reflections on the Holocaust and Legacy The chapter titled 'Reflections on the Holocaust and Legacy' recounts personal experiences during the Holocaust. It begins with the narrator describing how they were placed with a neighbor, Annie Madna, after their parents went into hiding in a psychiatric hospital. The parents adopted roles to blend in, with the father pretending to be a patient and the mother acting as a nurse. However, Annie Madna, having had bad experiences with the Nazi regime, decided it was safer for the child to stay with her sister, Yorina Polak. There are implications of danger due to Yorina's neighbor being a member of the Dutch Nazi Party, illustrating the constant threat and fear experienced during this time. The chapter reflects on these personal and harrowing experiences of survival and the broader legacy of the Holocaust.

Eyewitness to History: Holocaust Survivor Alfred (Al) Münzer Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 ALFRED MÜNZER: My name is Alfred Münzer. I was born in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands and survived the Holocaust because a Dutch-Indonesian family and their Indonesian Muslim nanny risked their lives to save a nine-month-old Jewish baby. My parents were born in eastern Europe, my father in a small town called Kańczuga
• 00:30 - 01:00 and my mother in a neighboring town called Rymanów. They immigrated to the Netherlands to escape antisemitism and to explore opportunities in a country that had welcomed Jews for hundreds of years. My father was the first to arrive in the Netherlands and started a men's clothing business in the city of the Hague. My mother followed him a few years later and they were married in November 1932
• 01:00 - 01:30 just before Adolf Hitler came to power in neighboring Germany. My father's business flourished, and my parents made many friends, many of them not Jewish, and in July 1936, they celebrated the birth of their first child, my sister Eva. She was followed in November 1938 by my sister Leah, another happy occasion marred unfortunately by news of Kristallnacht,
• 01:30 - 02:00 the "Night of Broken Glass," when the full fury of antisemitism was unleashed in Germany. But still, my parents felt safe in the Netherlands. All that changed May 14, 1940, when Germany invaded the Netherlands and installed
• 02:00 - 02:30 a Nazi government of occupation. In 1941, my mother realized she was pregnant again. Her obstetrician told her it would be immoral to bring another Jewish life into the world and urged her to have an abortion. But my mother ignored the doctor's advice. And so, I was born eight months later, November 23, 1941.
• 02:30 - 03:00 Eight days later family and friends gathered in our living room to observe the first milestone in a Jewish life. My bris or circumcision ceremony. Photographs were taken at that occasion, and they were very significant because these two photographs were to be kept by my mother on her body through her stay in 12 concentration camps.
• 03:00 - 03:30 In August 1942, when I was nine months old, my father, like many other Jewish men, received a summons to report for labor duty, which meant going to a concentration camp. The summons was a sign of imminent danger, which forced our family to go into hiding. My sisters were placed with two devout Catholic
• 03:30 - 04:00 women who lived next door to us. And I was placed with a neighbor across the street, Annie Madna. My parents went into hiding in a psychiatric hospital, my father pretending to be a patient and my mother, a nurse. Annie Madna had some bad run-ins with the Nazi government and felt it would be safer for me to be with her sister, Yorina Polak. But Yorina had a neighbor who was a member of the Dutch Nazi Party,
• 04:00 - 04:30 and that is why I finally ended up with Annie Madna's former husband, Tolé Madna. Tolé Madna was born in what was then a Dutch colony, the Netherlands East Indies, now called Indonesia. Tolé became my Papa, the three Madna children, my siblings and Mima Saïna,
• 04:30 - 05:00 the Indonesian nanny who had cared for them, now became my mother. Mima could not read or write but had a heart of gold and cared for me as if I were her own. I slept in Mima's bed, and she kept a knife under her pillow vowing to kill any Nazi who might try to come and get me. Because I was in the house illegally,
• 05:00 - 05:30 there were no food ration coupons for me and for three long years, she and the Madna family shared their own meager rations with me. They made sure I never came close to a window for fear that some passers-by might see a very different-looking child. There were times when the house was being searched and I was told to hide in a closet. But I thought it was just a game
• 05:30 - 06:00 and I remember playing with the Christmas decorations that were stored in the closet. There were also times when I was very, very hungry, but what I remember most of the three years with the Madna family, was love and laughter. Sadly, my sisters met an entirely different fate. After a year with the two Catholic neighbors,
• 06:00 - 06:30 they were placed in what was assumed to be a safer home. But there, the husband of the woman who had agreed to shelter my sisters denounced his wife and my sisters to the Nazis. His wife was sent to a concentration camp where she developed typhus, but survived. My sisters, however, were taken to Auschwitz where they were killed, February 11, 1944.
• 06:30 - 07:00 They were seven and five years old. My parents only succeeded in hiding at the psychiatric hospital for three months. On Christmas Day 1942, they enjoyed a surprise visit with my sisters. But one week later on New Year's Day 1943, all the Jews who had been hiding in
• 07:00 - 07:30 the hospital were arrested by the SS. My parents were deported, first to two camps in the Netherlands, and then to Auschwitz. My father remained in Auschwitz for six months and then was taken to a succession of camps in Mauthausen, Gusen, Steyr, and finally to a camp high in the Austrian Alps, Ebensee.
• 07:30 - 08:00 He witnessed liberation by the US Army but was so debilitated that he died two months later, still at Ebensee, July 25th, 1945. Miraculously, my mother survived Auschwitz and a series of death marches that took her through nine other camps. She was liberated in April 1945 and she and I were reunited in July 1945.
• 08:00 - 08:30 It's the first clear memory that I have. I had been asleep when my foster sister Dewie came to get me and carried me into the living room where the whole family had gathered in a circle. They passed me from lap to lap, but there was one lap I refused to sit in, one woman I kept pushing away.
• 08:30 - 09:00 That woman was my mother. To me, she was a complete stranger. I already had a mother and that was Mima Saïna. My mother thought it best that Mima continue to care for me. But unexpectedly, Mima passed away two months later, and that was when I finally bonded with my mother, a bond that lasted until she died 56 years later at age 94.
• 09:00 - 09:30 Sadly, the Holocaust did not spell an end to hate, bigotry, or mass murder. I asked Tolé Madna why he risked his life and the lives of his family to save a Jewish baby. His answer was a simple one, "What else was I to do?" To him standing up to hate and bigotry wasn't a choice, but a given.
• 09:30 - 10:00 That's the lesson I want the world to learn, that even when surrounded by unbridled hate, hate that robbed me of my father and sisters, and hate that took the lives of six million Jews and millions of others, it is possible and incumbent on all of us to stand up and do what is right.