Bloeme Evers-Emden facts for kids

Bloeme Evers-Emden (born July 26, 1926 – died July 18, 2016) was a Dutch Jewish teacher and child psychologist. She spent many years studying and writing about "hidden children" from World War II. These were children who had to go into hiding to escape the Nazis.

Bloeme's interest in this topic came from her own experiences. During World War II, she had to hide from the Nazis. She was later arrested and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. This happened on the very last train leaving the Westerbork transit camp on September 3, 1944. On that same train were Anne Frank and her family, whom Bloeme knew from Amsterdam. Bloeme was freed on May 8, 1945.

In the 1980s, Bloeme earned her doctorate in developmental psychology. She began interviewing and writing about the experiences of "hidden children." She looked at the story from the children's side, their birth parents, their non-Jewish foster parents, and even their non-Jewish foster siblings. She also shared her memories of Anne Frank and her family in several TV documentaries.

Bloeme Evers-Emden's Early Life

Bloeme Emden was born on July 26, 1926, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her father, Emanuel Emden, was a diamond cutter and a socialist. Her mother, Rosa Emden-DeVries, was a seamstress. Bloeme had a younger sister named Via Roosje.

In 1941, Bloeme went to the Jewish lyceum, which was a type of high school. There, she became friends with Anne Frank and Anne's sister, Margot. Bloeme was in the same grade as Margot, but in a different class.

Hiding from the Nazis

In July 1942, Bloeme received an order to be deported by the local government. Her father went to a special office and found a German official who helped them. He stamped the order "released," which meant she didn't have to go.

Bloeme returned to high school in September. But her class kept getting smaller as more students were deported throughout the year. By the end of the school year, only three students were left. When it was time for oral exams a few weeks later, Bloeme was the only student left in her class.

On the first day of her oral exams in May 1943, Bloeme's non-Jewish boyfriend warned her that the Germans were looking for her. She quickly asked the school to give her all 12 of her exams at once. She received her high school diploma that very same day.

When the Germans arrived, they took her to a gathering point for Jews in Amsterdam. But Bloeme managed to get inside without being officially registered. A few days later, she secretly left with a group of younger teenagers.

At first, she hid with Christian friends of her parents who were part of the Dutch underground. However, they worried that if they were caught, Bloeme would be too. So, over the next year, she hid in 15 to 16 different places. These included an old-age home in Amsterdam and a job as a maid for a widow and her son in Rotterdam. Eventually, she returned to the people who worked in the underground. There, she was arrested and sent to Westerbork transit camp.

Deportation and Survival

Bloeme was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp on the very last train leaving Westerbork. This was on September 3, 1944. The Frank family, who had been found in hiding on August 4, were on the same train.

Bloeme saw Anne, Margot, and their mother regularly in Auschwitz. Bloeme was part of a group of eight women who stayed together, helping and encouraging each other. In October 1944, Bloeme and her group were chosen to be moved to the Liebau labor camp in Upper Silesia.

Memories of Anne Frank

For the 1995 BBC documentary Anne Frank Remembered, Bloeme shared her memories. She recalled that Anne, Margot, and their mother, Edith, also planned to join the transport to Liebau. However, Anne couldn't go because she had developed scabies. Her mother and sister chose to stay with Anne, so Bloeme went on without them.

Bloeme was also interviewed about her memories of the Frank women in Auschwitz for the 1988 TV documentary The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank by Dutch filmmaker Willy Lindwer.

Bloeme was freed by Soviet soldiers at Liebau on May 8, 1945. She and a small group of friends started walking back to the Netherlands. They arrived six weeks later. Bloeme found out that her parents and sister had been sent to the Sobibor extermination camp, and they did not survive.

Helping Others: Her Research

Evers-Emden's son Raphael Evers, Rabbi of Düsseldorf

After the war, Bloeme married Hans Evers. They raised a family in Amsterdam. Bloeme said that she couldn't talk about her war experiences with her own family. She began studying psychology part-time. In 1973, she became a teacher of psychology at the University of Amsterdam. She earned her doctorate in the late 1980s.

In the 1980s, she started leading group therapy sessions for people who had been hidden children. These sessions helped them deal with their sadness, anger, and grief.

At a conference for hidden children in Amsterdam in 1992, Bloeme interviewed 73 former hidden children. She also received questionnaires from 321 other attendees. This was the start of her research into the emotional and psychological effects on hidden children. She expanded her research to include the viewpoints of the children, their birth parents, their non-Jewish foster parents, and their non-Jewish foster siblings.

Books About Hidden Children

In the 1990s, Bloeme Evers-Emden published four books in Dutch based on her research:

• Geleende Kinderen ('Borrowed Children'; 1994) focused on the foster parents who hid the children.
• Ondergedoken Geweest, Een Afgesloten Verleden? ('Hidden During the War: A Closed-Off Past?'; 1995) looked at the written answers from 300 hidden children.
• Geschonden Bestaan ('Shattered Existence'; 1996) included interviews with parents who sent their children into hiding.
• Je ouders delen ('Sharing Your Parents'; 1999) focused on the foster siblings of the hidden children.

In 1991, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands honored Bloeme Evers-Emden. She was made an officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau, a special award.

Bloeme Evers-Emden passed away in July 2016, just eight days before her 90th birthday.

Images for kids

• 

  Bloeme Evers-Emden's son, Raphael Evers, who is a Rabbi.