Honoring the Van Breemen and Van den Oever Families
On Wednesday, November 13, the Embassy had the honor of presenting two medals and certificates to representatives of the Van Breemen and Van den Oever families from Zaandijk and Elst. The award ceremony took place at the National Monument Oranjehotel Museum, where both the rescuers’ and the rescued families were represented, including one individual who had been saved as a young girl. The medals were presented to two grandchildren of the honored couples.
The National Monument Oranjehotel, located in Scheveningen—now part of The Hague—was once a notorious prison during World War II. It served as a detention center for many key resistance fighters captured by the German forces and their collaborators. Over the course of the war, approximately 25,000 people were imprisoned there, including Jewish citizens. Tragically, 250 of these prisoners were executed by firing squad in the nearby dunes. Today, the Oranjehotel stands as a memorial, hosting annual ceremonies to honor the victims of the war.
The prison earned the name “Oranjehotel” during the war, a reference to the Dutch royal family, as many resistance fighters were held there. The color orange, symbolizing the Dutch royal house, and Queen Wilhelmina’s leadership role in the resistance against the enemy made the name a fitting tribute.
Speeches were delivered by Ambassador Modi Ephraim, Mr. David Simon of the Friends of Yad Vashem Netherlands Foundation, and Ms. Madelon Liefting-Meijer, who spoke on behalf of the honored Van Breemen family. Ms. Liefting-Meijer recalled the poignant story of her grandparents' bravery in offering refuge to the Sjouwerman family—Elias and Betje, and their children Nora and Sydney. Tragically, when the Van den Oevers were away, the family was betrayed by neighbors. Despite her great-grandfather’s courageous attempt to resist the Dutch Nazi collaborators, the family was deported to Amsterdam, and all perished in Auschwitz.
