Memorial "The Child Is Still There"

On Hoofdweg in Echten, near Middenvaart, stands the monument “Het Kind Is Er Nog” (The Child Is Still Here). This is a tribute to all the foster parents in Friesland who provided a safe haven for hundreds of Jewish children during World War II. On 17 April 1945, Lemmer and the surrounding area were liberated. For many of these children, there was no reunion with their parents after the liberation because they had perished. In a number of cases, the foster parents became the official parents.

The monument was erected in 2009 on the initiative of Loek Groenteman from Amsterdam, who was 76 at the time. From 1943 until the liberation in 1945, he was taken in as a foster child by the family of Siemen and Hielkje Visser in Echten. A few months after the liberation, it turned out that his parents and little brother had also survived the war. Next to the monument is an information panel with a QR code. After scanning it, you can listen to the story of Loek Groenteman.

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Source

• Text: Bert Deelman + Herma de Vries
• Photos: Bert Deelman (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Herma de Vries (6, 7, 8)