Newspaper Page Text
Friday, August 1, 1547
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Page TWree
How the Good Dutch Doctors Saved Kids
From the Nazi Plague
By ALBERT DEUTSCH
The newspaper PM has permitted the Independent
Jewish Press Service to syndicate this article about the
hitherto anonymous heroes of the underground who
snatched Jewish children from the jaws of death during
the Hitler night over Europe.—The Editor.
The enormity of the Nazi war crimes—six million civilians
deliberately murdered in the execution of state policy—has
tended to overshadow the countless acts of quiet heroism by
large numbers of the beautiful people who dared to buck the
Nazi tide at the risk of life and limb. This is the story of one
of those good people, the good
Hollander, Dr. Fideldeij Dop, who
is now in New York attending the
International Congress of Pedia
trics, along with hundreds of his
fellow-specialists in child health.
Dr. Fideldeij Dop—36, jovial,
blond, blue-eyed and sparse-haired
—is a well-known pediatrician of
Amsterdam. When the Nazis over
ran Holland and began their large-
scale deportation of Jews to the
death camps, the students of the
University of Amsterdam formed
several "underground railways”
through which many thousands of
Jews were spirited away to safety.
These underground student groups
operated on a “spcialist” principle.
One specialized exclusively in pro-
ciding adult Jews with false pass
ports and other papers to aid
their esoflpe. Another specialized
in snatching Jewish children from
Nazi clutches.
Specialization was an essential
feature of sound underground
work," Dr. Dop observes. "Those
who engaged in general anti-Nazi
activity during the war were usu
ally caught sooner or later. The
specialists had a far better chance
of surviving and continuing oper
ations undected"
Baby Specialist
The Amsterdam University stu
dents who conducted the special
underground railway for children
wisely enlisted the aid of Dr. Dop,
professor of pediatrics at the uni
versity, and of other doctors spe
cializing in child diseases. Dr. Dop
had a very large Jewish clientele
as a result of the murder of im
prisonment of his Jewish colleagues
in Amsterdam. It was natural for
him to visit many Jewish homes,
day and night, without attracting
undue suspicion from the Nazi au
thorities.
But Dr. Dop, was fighting more
than the usual diseases of child
hood as he made his rounds. He
was combating the greatest plague
that ever struck humanity—Na
zism. The student underground,
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ATLANTA; GA.
ALBERT DEUTSCH, remem
bered In Atlanta for his appear
ance on the 1946-47 Cultural
Series.
which had agents planted in Nazi
headquarters, would tip off Dr.
Dop on what Jewish families were
marked for SS raids. The good
doctor would rush out—often in
the dead of night—to warn these
families and to assemble all the
children in his car for safe place
ment in cooperating Gentile homes.
Parent-Child Link
Dr | Dop also servetj as a go-
between for Jewish parents and
their children placed for safety In
Gentile homes, transmitting re
assuring messages from one to an
other, retaining that "continuity
of relationships" so important in
child upbringing. When private
homes were not available, kids
would be placed temporarily in
hospitals and other institutions,
with the help of forged documents
and false names.
Dr. Dop was extremely reluctant
to talk about his own part in this
"juvenile underground railway.”
He kept insisting that it was a
mass enterprise, initiated by the
students, and that he was but one
cog in the intriacte network of
child saving. I had to piece the
story together from his colleagues,
who told me Dr. Dop had person
ally been instrumental in saving
several kids from Nazi concentra
tion camps.
There Is a touching postscript to
this story: Dr. Dop, after the war,
offered to establish a fellowship
fund to permit students of the un
derground to continue their in
terrupted studies. The brave stu
dents would have none of it.” In
stead, they developed a co-opera
tive enterprise consisting of a mo
tion picture house featuring for
eign cinemas of cultural value and
“students’ center” where youths
locally and frqm many lands, were
welcomed as guests. Thousands of
Amsterdam citizens chipped in
small loans to start off the co-op
erative cinema, called the Criter
ion. All those loans have been
repaid. Each student spends about
three hours each day helping to
operate the cinema and the center.
The profits help pay their way
through the university. The youths
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represent every economic and so
cial class, every shade of political
opinion; united for peace as they
once were in conducting their un
derground railway for saving souls.
— (Copyright ’47—PM, Inc.)
Walter Winchell
Draws up City-by-City
'Almanac' of Haters
NEW YORK <JPS>— An “alma
nac” of professional anti-Semites
and native fascists peddling their
wares in major American cities
was given by Walter Winchell in
his syndicated column last week.
Following is part of Winchell’s
city-by-city list:
New York: Kurt Mertig. who
founded the pro-Nazi Citizens Pro
tective League ten years ago and
was sentenced to jail six months
ago for holding a hate rousing
Christian Front meeting In
Queens, is out of jail, and "only
last week held another rodent
rendezvous In Queens ...”
Philadelphia, Pa.: Is plagued
“by ladles who call themselves
‘Blue Star Mothers!’ Recently the
‘Mothers’ attacked John Rogge for
his prosecution of alleged sedition-
ists. . . , The year before they
raised funds for Lizzie Dilling . . .”
Atlanta, Ga.: “Is crawling with
. . . Homer L. (ousel Loomis Jr.,
and his Columbianazis. Although
sentenced to a chain gang Loomis
still creeps around in his Storm
Trooper get-up trying to whip
Georgians into race riots.”
San Antonio, Tex.: A college
professor of English, Austin J.
App, is writing and mailing out
“pamphlets which charge that
American GI's defiled thousands
of German women; publishing
booklets which describe Nazi sol
diers as the most decent troops In
World War H‘; contributing to
J. L. K. Smith’s outfit and Leon
De Aryan's ‘The Broom’.”
Chicago, Ill.: “Former German -
American Bund teacher Leon End-
ers recently formed a chapter of
the “Organization of Americans of
Genpan Ancestry. . . . The direc
tor of Chicago Mayor’s Commis
sion blasted It because its purpose
is “to divide our citizenry along
racial lines . .
LEAVES BBYO POST WITH DISTRICT
Louis Goldstein Accepts Communify
Center Appointment in Chattanooga
Louis Goldstein has resigned his
post as Director of BTial B’rith
Youth Organization for District
No. 5, to become executive direc
tor of the Chattanooga Jewish
Community Center.
During his stay in District 5,
Mr. Goldstein established the first
full time headquarters in the his
tory of the district. Working out
of Atlanta, he succeeded in bring
ing the youth chapters and the
B’nai B’rith lodges closer together
in the southeastern area. The pro
gram and financial structure of
the organization have been ma
terially strengthened. B.B.Y.O. in
District 5 is one of the finest Jew
ish youth movements in the coun
try.
He brings to his new assignment
in Chattanooga a rich background
of education and practical experi
ence. He received his undergrad
uate degree from City College of
New York and the Master of Arts
degree, from New York University.
He holds a diploma from the Jew
ish Theological Seminary in Group
Work and has completed addition
al graduate work at the Columbia
University New York School of So
cial Work. He has been working
in the Jewish center field for ten
years, having held positions ol re
sponsibility at the Henry Street
Settlement House, the Bronx YM-
YWHA, the 92nd Street YMHA
and at the East Bronx YM-YWHA j
before entering the army.
Mr. Goldstein served in the
U. S. Army for 42 months. As an
enlisted man for two years he stu
died at Ohio State University and
then became a specialist on th?
Far East and the Chinese Lan
guage after a year at Harvard Uni
versity. Graduating from Officer
Candidates School, he did exten
sive work in psychiatry, mfovma-
tion-education and as Chief of a
Personal Affairs Branch. He taen
LOUIS GOLDSTEIN
Accepts Chattanooga Job
attended the School of Military
Government at the University of
Virginia and was assigned overseas
in Korea as a Military Govern
ment Officer.
TRUMAN ON AID
FOR DISPLACED PERSONS
WASHINGTON, (JTA>— Presi
dent Truman said this week that
in the absence of Congressional
legislation to admit displaced per
sons, there was no action he could
take.
Asked at his press conference
about the possibility of any Presi
dential action, he said that if there
was any, he would have taken it
long ago.
Senate Voles to Start Inquiry Into U. S.
Immigration System; DP Entry to Be Studied
WASHINGTON (JTA)— An In
vestigation into the whole field of
immigration, which will also cover
the question of admission of dis
placed persons to the United
States, was voted by the Senate in
the closing hours of the current
session, which adjourned at 3:50
A. M. Monday morning.
The resolution, as originally in
troduced by Senator Chapman
Revercomb, Republican of West
Virginia, called for a full-scale In
quiry into the existing immigra
tion laws. Sen. Revercomb stressed
that the United States has “no
obligation” to admit refugees.
However, his resolution was
amended and now provides for an
investigation by a five-man unit
of the Judiciary Committee of all
phases of the immigration sys
tem, and specifically how the en
try of displaced persons would af
fect the country. The resolution
also provides that a report be
made on January 10, after Con
gress is reconvened.
Senator John S. Cooper, Ken
tucky Republican, replied to Rev
ercomb, Republican of West Vir
ginia, called for a full-scale in
quiry into the existing immigra
tion laws. Sen. Revercomb stressed
that the United States has “no
obligation” to admit refugees.
However, his resolution was
EGYPTIAN JEWISH GROUP
BACKS NATION'S DEMAND
TO OUST TOMMIES
CAIRO, (JTA)—In connection
with Premier Nokrashi Pasha’s de
parture for the U. S. to present
the Egyptiaji case before the U. N.
Security Council, the Jewish Dem
ocratic Front cabled U. N. Secre
tary-General Trygve Lie express
ing the hope that the Security
Council will support Egyptian de
mands for independence, evacua
tion o fBritish troops and unity
of th? Nile Valley (which would
include the Sudan.)
amended and now provides for an
investigation by a five-man unit
of the Judiciary Committee, of
all phases of the immigration sys
tem, and specifically how the en
try of displaced persons would af
fect the country. The resolution
also provides that a report be made
on January 10, after Congress is
reconvened.
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ndutfry Looks o’
Our Town
Maybe you read how a group of
industrial experts have decided that
the small town is the place for in-
dustry—not big citiea. Reasons they
give are better housing, pleasanter
living, and more opportunity for
wholesome recreation.
Well, looking around our town
I’d say that was about right. Moat
of us own our homes, and keep them
looking nice; we enjoy each other's
company: and our recreations are
mostly simple outdoor sports, and
in the evening a mellow glass of
beer with pleasant company.
. .
As Doc Walters says, that sort of
life just naturally sets you up for
work the next day ... whether it’s
in office, mill, or field. And Doc
should know. He works fourteen
hours, but never misses bis morn-
iug “constitutional”,or his .evening
glass of beer with friends.
From where I ait, any industry
could profit from being in a town
where wholesome living, temper
ance, and friendship are the rule.
ffoe
Copyright, 1447, United State* Bremers Foundation