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Dirk van Leenan, Holocaust Survivor
October 7, 2023, began the same way as Hitler-taking children, taking families, killing babies, and raping women. This is how the Holocaust began!
Dirk is an 83-year-old Mesa resident who was sent to a German concentration camp in 1945 with his parents. As a child, he was sent to Bergen-Belson where Anne Frank had died earlier in the year. Dirks father was part of the resistance in the Netherlands and was instrumental in saving over 1,000 Jews, placing them in hiding and moving them to different parts of the Country. These activities resulted in the Germans searching for and capturing the entire family.
He sees many parallels in his early experiences and how these actions are occurring today. We’re losing our freedom of speech, housing and zoning rights are being stripped away, our right to bear arms is under constant attack, and Republicans are turning on Republicans. Dirk recently spoke at the Scottsdale Center of the Arts to 700 school age children and recounted his survival experience. He has written 3 books that cover three stages of his family experience. His books will be for sale at our meeting at a discounted price.
Dirk is currently working with Tom Horne on an enhanced curriculum focusing on genocide and the Holocaust.
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