4 hours Ago By 77280
Two individuals featured in the 1944 Westerbork film, a crucial historical document from World War II, have been identified after years of obscurity, as by Amateur historian Koen Hulsbos confirmed that the couple in question were Marcus Pels and Hendrika Brandon, who were captured by filmmaker Rudolf Breslauer during their time at the Westerbork transit camp. The film, created by the Jewish photographer and filmmaker in the spring of 1944, was commissioned by the camp’s commander, Albert Gemmeker. Breslauer's footage includes scenes of a transport leaving the camp, daily life within the facility, and even a football match among prisoners.
Pels and Brandon, residents of Amsterdam before the war, were deported to Auschwitz following their time in Westerbork. Marcus Pels was immediately killed upon arrival at Auschwitz. Hendrika Brandon survived the war, as did their children, Katy (86) and Philip (83), who were sent to a foster family.
Both children now live in Canada and confirmed the identities of their parents after seeing the film footage. "It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to see your father alive again, walking, smiling in a film," said their granddaughter, Lisa Kaufman, acting as spokesperson for the family. "It was very special to see my grandmother, whom I grew up with, in the footage.
" The complete film is available to view on . The couple first appears at approximately 4 minutes and 50 seconds into the film, with Marcus Pels wearing a hat and smiling at the camera, alongside Hendrika Brandon, whose black, wavy hair can be seen from behind. The couple reappears shortly afterward at around 6 minutes.
"I’ve watched this film many times," Hulsbos said. "At one point, I thought, 'Hey, this couple appears twice.' I never noticed it before.
" After comparing the couple’s appearance to known photographs of Pels and Brandon, Hulsbos was convinced: "It’s impossible to be mistaken," he said. While Hulsbos has already identified a handful of individuals from the film, he believes many others remain to be uncovered. "A lot of the footage is, of course, in poor quality.
But it's incredibly rewarding work," he said. As of now, Hulsbos has collected 258 photographs of the 446 Jewish prisoners who were recorded in the film. He has successfully identified about 20 of them.
"After 80 years, most of these people are still unknown," he noted. Earlier this year, it was revealed that two of Breslauer’s own children, Ursula and Stefan, also appeared in the film, arm in arm for just a few fleeting seconds. The Breslauer family had arrived at Westerbork in 1942, and two years later, they were deported to Auschwitz, where the entire family was sent to their deaths, except for Ursula, who survived.
She later emigrated to Israel..
