Skip to main content

Betsy H. Holocaust testimony (HVT-1277) interviewed by Laurel Vlock,

Oral History | Digitized | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-1277

Overview

Summary: Videotape testimony of Betsy H., who was born in Hoogeveen, Netherlands, in 1917, the oldest of four children. Mrs. H. tells of working in a Jewish home for deprived children; her indifference regarding German events; German invasion; living with a Jewish family in Amsterdam; the last contact with her family (they were all deported); hiding in Rijnsburg; meeting her future husband who was hiding to avoid forced labor; joining a resistance group; carrying messages under a false name throughout the country; and witnessing the daily heroism of ordinary people. She describes her arrest with the resistance group; disposing of the documents she had been carrying to shield the identities of resistance members thus saving their lives; transport through Vught to Ravensbrück; forced labor in Dachau; liberation; returning through Switzerland and Paris to the Netherlands; and marriage in 1945. She discusses her affection for friends she made in Dachau; their annual meetings; her role in the resistance; and reluctance to talk about the past with her daughter.
Author/Creator: H., Betsy, 1917-
Published: New Haven, Conn. : Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, 1989
Interview Date: August 8, 1989.
Locale: Netherlands
Hoogeveen (Netherlands)
Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Rijnsburg (Netherlands)
Cite As: Betsy H. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-1277). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
Other Authors/Editors: Vlock, Laurel, interviewer.

Physical Details

Language: English
Copies: 3 copies: 3/4 in. master; 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Physical Description: 1 videorecording (1 hr., 44 min.) : col

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects (Local Yale): Hiding.
False papers.
Aid by non-Jews.
Resistance.
Postwar effects.
Postwar experiences.
Survivor-child relations.
Subjects: Holocaust survivors. Video tapes. Women. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Jewish. World War, 1939-1945--Underground movements--Netherlands. Friendship. Concentration camps--Psychological aspects. Forced labor. Netherlands. Hoogeveen (Netherlands) Amsterdam (Netherlands) Rijnsburg (Netherlands) Oral histories (document genres) H., Betsy,--1917- Dachau (Concentration camp) Ravensbrück (Concentration camp) Vught (Concentration camp)

Administrative Notes

Holder of Originals: Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
Special Collection: Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies

Link to Yale University Library Catalog:: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/1083409
Record last modified:: 2018-05-29 11:46:00
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt1083409

Additional Resources

Librarian View

Download & Licensing

Terms of Use
This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Request Access from Yale University Libraries

Requires Yale University Libraries Permission
Accessing Fortunoff interviews
Log in to Request and View
About the Fortunoff Archive

Once requests are approved, you must be at a Fortunoff Access Site to view the testimony.

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Learn About the Holocaust

These additional online resources from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will help you learn more about the Holocaust and research your family history.

Holocaust Encyclopedia

The Holocaust Encyclopedia provides an overview of the Holocaust using text, photographs, maps, artifacts, and personal histories.
Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center

Research family history relating to the Holocaust and explore the Museum's collections about individual survivors and victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution.
Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos

Learn about over 1,000 camps and ghettos in Volumes I-III of this encyclopedia, which are available as a free PDF download. This reference provides text, photographs, charts, maps, and extensive indexes.

Further Your Research