Selma Wijnberg-Engel
Encyclopedia
Selma Engel-Wijnberg is a Dutch Holocaust survivor and the only known Dutch prisoner of Sobibor extermination camp
who escaped and survived.
Wijnberg grew up in Zwolle
where her parents had a hotel
(hotel Wijnberg).
, later in De Bilt
. During hiding she used the name Greetje van den Berg. She was arrested by the police on 18 December. In February 1943 she was transferred to Camp Vught then to Camp Westerbork and finally to Sobibor
on .
After her escape during the revolt
of 14 October 1943, she fled with the Polish
Jew
Chaim Engel (Brudzew
, 10 January 1916 - 4 July 2003), whom she fell in love with in Sobibor
. The couple fled through a minefield and a forest and hid for nine months in the attic of a farm
until the expolsion of Axis forces in Poland in July 1944 by the Red army
. Meanwhile the couple was married and she became pregnant. During their stay in the attic they became infected by scabies
.
Via Chełm and Parczewski
, where their son Emiel was born, they went to Lubin
. They crossed the Ukraine
by train to Tsjernivtsi and to Odessa
. She left by boat, with Chaim, for Marseille
. During the journey her son Emiel died and the body was buried at sea near Greece
. From Marseille they travelled by train to Zwolle
and returned to their house, Hotel Wijnberg.
concluded that Selma, by marrying the Polish Engel, also became Polish. The police asked the Ministry of Justice
what should happen with them both. They couldn't be returned to Poland because Poland no longer accepted the return of Polish citizens from foreign countries. It was decided not to intern them in a foreigner's camp near Valkenswaard
because it was expected that a quick return to Poland was possible. In Zwolle Selma gave birth to a son and a daughter. They set up a velvet and fashion store.
In 1951 they moved to Israel
where they settled in Kibbutz
Moledet
and later in Beit Yitzhak. Chaim couldn't feel at home in Israel and in 1957 they decided to move to the United States
where they settled in Branford
. They returned to Europe
on some occasions to testify against the war criminals of Sobibor
.
On 12 April 2010 Minister Ab Klink
apologised during the Westerbork-rememberings ceremony on behalf of the Dutch government. She didn't accept the apologies, because they were too late. The same day she was decorated with the grade of Knight in de Order of Oranje-Nassau. It was the first time since she had left in 1951 that she returned to the Netherlands.
her character was played by Ellis van Maarseveen. Ad van Liempt
wrote a biography about her Selma: De vrouw die Sobibor overleefde (ISBN 978-90-74274-42-5) and made a documentary about her which was aired by the NOS
on Dutch television.
Sobibór extermination camp
Sobibor was a Nazi German extermination camp located on the outskirts of the town of Sobibór, Lublin Voivodeship of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German name was SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor...
who escaped and survived.
Wijnberg grew up in Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
where her parents had a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
(hotel Wijnberg).
During the Second World War
In September 1942 she had to hide first in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, later in De Bilt
De Bilt
De Bilt is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.-Population centres :The municipality of De Bilt consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Bilthoven, De Bilt, Groenekan, Hollandsche Rading, Maartensdijk, Westbroek...
. During hiding she used the name Greetje van den Berg. She was arrested by the police on 18 December. In February 1943 she was transferred to Camp Vught then to Camp Westerbork and finally to Sobibor
Sobibór extermination camp
Sobibor was a Nazi German extermination camp located on the outskirts of the town of Sobibór, Lublin Voivodeship of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German name was SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor...
on .
After her escape during the revolt
Escape from Sobibor
Escape from Sobibor is a 1987 British made-for-TV film which aired on CBS. It deals with the extermination camp at Sobibor, the site of the most successful uprising by Jewish prisoners of German extermination camps...
of 14 October 1943, she fled with the Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
Jew
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
Chaim Engel (Brudzew
Brudzew
Brudzew may refer to the following places:*Brudzew, Kalisz County in Greater Poland Voivodeship *Brudzew, Turek County in Greater Poland Voivodeship *Brudzew, Łódź Voivodeship...
, 10 January 1916 - 4 July 2003), whom she fell in love with in Sobibor
Sobibór
Sobibór is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Włodawa, within Włodawa County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies close to the Bug River, which forms the border with Belarus and Ukraine. Sobibór is approximately south-east of Włodawa and east of the regional capital...
. The couple fled through a minefield and a forest and hid for nine months in the attic of a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
until the expolsion of Axis forces in Poland in July 1944 by the Red army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. Meanwhile the couple was married and she became pregnant. During their stay in the attic they became infected by scabies
Scabies
Scabies , known colloquially as the seven-year itch, is a contagious skin infection that occurs among humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching...
.
Via Chełm and Parczewski
Parczew County
Parczew County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lublin Voivodeship, eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and only town is Parczew, which lies north-east of...
, where their son Emiel was born, they went to Lubin
Lubin
Lubin is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. From 1975–1998 it belonged to the former Legnica Voivodeship. Lubin is the administrative seat of Lubin County, and also of the rural district called Gmina Lubin, although it is not part of the territory of the latter,...
. They crossed the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
by train to Tsjernivtsi and to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
. She left by boat, with Chaim, for Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. During the journey her son Emiel died and the body was buried at sea near Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. From Marseille they travelled by train to Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
and returned to their house, Hotel Wijnberg.
After the Second World War
Minister Hans Kolfschoten decided that Chaim could not stay in the Netherlands as he was an unwanted foreigner. In the Nederlands they married again on 18 September 1945 and the police of ZwolleZwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
concluded that Selma, by marrying the Polish Engel, also became Polish. The police asked the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Security and Justice is the Dutch ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice , but at the start of the Rutte cabinet, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior...
what should happen with them both. They couldn't be returned to Poland because Poland no longer accepted the return of Polish citizens from foreign countries. It was decided not to intern them in a foreigner's camp near Valkenswaard
Valkenswaard
Valkenswaard is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. The municipality had 30,871 citizens and spans an area of 56,50 square kilometers ....
because it was expected that a quick return to Poland was possible. In Zwolle Selma gave birth to a son and a daughter. They set up a velvet and fashion store.
In 1951 they moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
where they settled in Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
Moledet
Moledet
Moledet is a small right-wing political party in Israel. It advocates the notion of encouraging voluntary population transfer of the Arab population of the West Bank. Moledet was founded in 1988 by Rehavam Ze'evi, who headed it until his assassination by members of the PFLP in 2001, after which...
and later in Beit Yitzhak. Chaim couldn't feel at home in Israel and in 1957 they decided to move to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where they settled in Branford
Branford, Connecticut
-Landmarks and attractions:Branford has six historic districts that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . These include buildings in Federal, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne styles of architecture...
. They returned to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on some occasions to testify against the war criminals of Sobibor
Sobibór extermination camp
Sobibor was a Nazi German extermination camp located on the outskirts of the town of Sobibór, Lublin Voivodeship of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German name was SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor...
.
On 12 April 2010 Minister Ab Klink
Ab Klink
Abraham Klink is a former Dutch politician of Christian Democratic Appeal . He was Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet.-External links: , Parlement & Politiek...
apologised during the Westerbork-rememberings ceremony on behalf of the Dutch government. She didn't accept the apologies, because they were too late. The same day she was decorated with the grade of Knight in de Order of Oranje-Nassau. It was the first time since she had left in 1951 that she returned to the Netherlands.
Movie, documentary and book
In the movie Escape from SobiborEscape from Sobibor
Escape from Sobibor is a 1987 British made-for-TV film which aired on CBS. It deals with the extermination camp at Sobibor, the site of the most successful uprising by Jewish prisoners of German extermination camps...
her character was played by Ellis van Maarseveen. Ad van Liempt
Ad van Liempt
Ad van Liempt is a Dutch journalist, writer and a TV producer. He authored several books, including a biography of Prince Bernhard, and is the host of a historical program Andere Tijden...
wrote a biography about her Selma: De vrouw die Sobibor overleefde (ISBN 978-90-74274-42-5) and made a documentary about her which was aired by the NOS
Nederlandse Omroep Stichting
The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting , English: Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation, is one of the broadcasters in the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system...
on Dutch television.