Sobibor - Kamp Westerbork

On March 2, 1943, the first transport from Westerbork Netherlands to Sobibor concentration camp took place. From the article:

"Sobibor - Kamp Westerbork
The Sobibor extermination camp was located in the east of Poland, near the Ukrainian border and 80 kilometres from the city of Lublin.

In a year and a half, at least 170,000 Jews from various countries were murdered in the Sobibor gas chambers. 34,313 of these came from the Netherlands. From 3 May 1942 onwards, the transports arrived regularly. Between 2 March and 20 July 1943, 19 trains went from camp Westerbork to Sobibor.

Murder
The whole organisation in the camp, the beautiful view of the barracks with curtains in front of the windows, the SS speech, it was all façade to reassure the prisoners. Until the last moment, this system of false hope was maintained, the moment they went to Lager 3 to be 'showered'. Here, men, women and children were killed by gassing. Exhaust fumes from a heavy engine were blown into the gas chambers through pipes.

Westerbork-Sobibor
Between 2 March 1943 and 20 July 1943, 19 transports left Westerbork for Sobibor with a total of 34,313 Jews. With a few exceptions, they were all gassed immediately upon arrival. A number of men and women were put to work in Sobibor. Two of them survived the uprising. Approximately 1,000 Jews from the Netherlands were put to work from Sobibor in other camps, such as the Dorohucza peat camp, in Lublin-Majdanek, or Alter-Flugplatz. Of them, 13 women and 3 men survived.

The uprising
In the summer of 1943, a small group of prisoners discussed the possibility of an uprising. The plan became serious when in September 1943, captured Soviet soldiers arrived in the camp, and a lieutenant, Alexander Petsjerski, joined the insurgents. An escape plan was drawn up under his leadership. The aim was to have as many prisoners as possible break out at the same time. On 14 October 1943, the uprising started with the shooting of a few guards and 12 SS. In the ensuing confusion, 365 prisoners were able to escape. Only 47 survived the war, including the Dutch Ursula Stern and Selma Wijnberg.

After the uprising, the SS razed the camp to the ground and planted trees on the terrain. All traces had to be obliterated. Shortly after the first Sobibor trial in 1966, a monument was erected, including the 'Ash Hill'.

The memory in Westerbork
In remembrance of the deportation destinations from camp Westerbork, the Signs in Westerbork, designed by Victor Levie, have been placed near the entrance to the former camp grounds. A sign has been erected for each destination, which states the numbers of deportees and victims. The initiative for the placement came from Jules Schelvis, one of the eighteen Dutch survivors of Sobibor. The signs were unveiled on 11 March 2001 by Jules Schelvis and then prime minister Wim Kok.

The travelling exhibition Westerbork - Sobibor was developed by the Camp Westerbork Memorial Centre. This exhibition focuses on a model of the camp, which is explained and explored in depth with photo and text banners. The common thread is personal suitcases containing objects, documents and video portraits."