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Stumbling Stone Boterdiep Westzijde 32

This small, brass memorial plaque (stolperstein, struikelsteen, or stumbling stone) commemorates:

* Klaas Havinga, born 1882, arrested 25 April 1944, murdered 25 April 1944, Winsum.

Klass Havinga, a butcher in Zuidewolde, was executed as part of the Nazis’ reprisal action for the murder by the Dutch resistance of a Dutch collaborator and leader in the German SS in the Netherlands (J. L. Keijer). Keijer died on 22 April 1944. The reprisal action executed one man at home in Bedum, another in Middelsum, and took 4 more from Zuidewolde into the village and executed them. Each is remembered with a stolperstein: Klass Havinga here at Boterdiep Westzijde 32, Jan Reinder Visser at Boterdiep Westzijde 51, and Cornelis G. G. Bos and Jan Kornelis Dwarhuis at Boterdiep Oostzijde 27.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth, and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

Borne was the first town in the Netherlands in which Stolpersteine were placed -- on 29 November 2007.

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