In 1936 Deborah’s Hungarian father came to the Netherlands to open a fur shop. The store was a success, but in 1940 he lost everything during the bombing of Rotterdam. Two years later, in 1942, Deborah’s mother received a call from the Germans to report for deportation to camp Westerbork. Together with her two daughters, she had to leave for the camp.
Raids in Amsterdam
Deborah’s father managed to go into hiding in a hospital through a list. Deborah itself was wrapped in a blanket and housed with the neighbors. “It was prayed and begged that it would end well.”
After three months, the situation there also became too dangerous. Deborah had to move to the Rivierenbuurt in Amsterdam with her father. “There had already been raids, but luckily my father was able to take care of me there for nine months.” Deborah shows photos of her, with her father together, while among albums in her bookcase she is looking for excerpts from then.
Concentration camps
Her mother and her two sisters finally returned from Westerbork and the family came together again in Amsterdam. Yet they were picked up again by the German authorities. Deborah then ended up in three concentration camps: first Westerbork, then Ravensbrück and eventually Bergen-Belsen. “I survived three concentration camps. That is a miracle,” she says with her hands in front of her mouth.