"I will return": Final Letters of Dutch Jews before Their Deportations, 1942-1943

In 1942 and 1943, the majority of Dutch Jewry was deported to the concentration camps in Poland. When the train left the Westerbork transit camp, many Jews threw letters and postcards out of the train, written to their loved ones, telling them they were going to ‘the East’. Some of these farewell letters and postcards have been preserved in museums and archives. In my presentation, I will speak about these writings, and what they tell us about the expectations of the Dutch Jews about their deportation and its destination. How was their mood prior to departure? What were they expecting to find in Poland? And do we see a difference between the expectations in 1942 and 1943?