Keeping alive the memory of the worst atrocity in modern times – the Holocaust – is important for humanity as a whole, not just for those who were affected by it in one way or another.
It reminds us all not to be complacent in the face of racial prejudice, injustice, intolerance, bigotry, and, above all, antisemitism.
While on a handful of days each year – Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Hashoah), International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and The Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust – we’re reminded of this dark stain on humanity, for most, that’s it. For the rest of the year, those who perished, often without trace, as well as the survivors who have to live with the horrors they were forced to witness, barely enter our contemplation. And, most worryingly, there are increasing numbers of people who are ignorant about the Holocaust, some even going so far as to deny it ever happened.
There can be no substitute for hearing first-hand accounts from those who suffered in the camps at the hands of the Nazi regime, often losing every single family member. The cruelty meted out to Jews, six million of whom perished, is impossible for us to comprehend. As time marches on there are fewer and fewer in-person accounts available, however with the number of survivors dwindling, leaving the second and even third generations with the important task of carrying the mantle, by keeping the stories alive and educating future generations.
Dedicating a business to the stories of Holocaust survivors
WITH THIS in mind, Liesbeth Heenk, owner of Amsterdam Publishers, took the remarkable decision to dedicate her business to the Holocaust.
Having set up her own publishing company in 2012, with one Holocaust memoir by a Dutch writer on her books, Heenk was approached by Manny Steinberg, a survivor, whose book, Outcry, she published in 2014.
In the aftermath of the book’s publication, Heenk explained to me in a recent Zoom meeting, “I accompanied him [Steinberg] to Dachau with his entire family and I thought, ‘My goodness what an impact does a book have on the man, and on his entire family because he finally thought he was being heard.’”
Spending time with Steinberg and his family gave Heenk a unique insight into this dark, tragic world: “Many Holocaust survivors went through a stage where people didn’t want to listen,” she said, adding that writing the book had been a very positive experience for him.
“He could write it all down and when he saw all those reviews coming in, it was a very good process for him and his family.”
Upon seeing how she could help in this way, Heenk eventually took the extraordinary step of publishing Holocaust stories to the exclusion of all others, in order to bring them to life before it’s too late. Indeed, the ages of the survivors influenced her decision, as she knew that time was not on her side.
“The nucleus is the memoirs by survivors… those are the really important stories,” she stressed, before adding that fortunately, “nowadays, the baton has been taken over by the second and third generation as well.”
That said, Heenk still manages to discover first-hand accounts, one of which was published just a few weeks ago – and she’s always on the lookout for more.
“I research libraries and Jewish museums for unpublished Holocaust memoirs because they are definitely still around. It’s very important that people read those stories as nothing has as much impact as the stories of the survivors themselves.”
And she’s not too concerned about the quality of the writing, “I don’t care whether it’s high prose or not,” she says. “Basically, Holocaust survivors should have been in school when they went to the camps so you have to accept that it’s usually very simple English, which is perfectly fine.”
One example is Manny Steinberg’s Outcry, which is still very much in demand because “It is straight from the heart… It is extremely simple prose and it speaks directly to people. For my purpose – to make an impact and to ensure people don’t forget the Holocaust it works beautifully.”
But she knows that the number of survivors is dwindling as more and more stories are being penned by second and even third generations. Sadly, however, she predicts that this will be the end of the line, “I do not think there’ll be a fourth generation because the distance between them and their great-grandparents is far too big.”
HEENK PUBLISHES around 20 to 30 books a year.
One of her most recent is Good For a Single Journey, by Helen Joyce. In it, Joyce tells the extraordinary story of her family’s journey, starting with her great-grandparents in early 20th-century Poland. She follows four generations in Europe and Palestine, weaving their experiences together through two world wars and the early years of the State of Israel, where the book culminates.
I spoke to Joyce, who was very open about the struggles she faced when trying to find a publisher for her book: “When I was hoping to publish my manuscript, I was getting used to polite rejection letters,” she began.
“When I contacted Amsterdam Publishers I was without much hope, but her [Heenk’s] answer ‘Send me the whole manuscript,’ shocked me. Within two weeks she replied that she loved my book and we started working together. In my mind, Liesbeth should be honored as a Righteous Gentile. Thanks to her, my family has been brought back to life.”
Bringing all of those forgotten families back to life is something that drives Heenk, “I said at the Studio Libeskind event last year in New York that my job would only be finished after six million stories have been written – which is completely unrealistic – but I really want to release as many of those stories as possible.”
The fact that Heenk is not Jewish, has, at times, led her to question the validity of her decision to delve into the world of Holocaust survivors and their families, “At first I felt a little uneasy because I’m not Jewish and who am I to deal with those extremely personal stories about themselves or their family.”
Thankfully, her desire to bring these stories to life so that we “never forget” has remained strong. “I think we all have a responsibility… We all have to do something valuable with our lives and I feel a tremendous responsibility toward the Jews, to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again.”
If you or someone you know has a Holocaust story to share, contact Liesbeth Heenk at info@amsterdampublishers.com.
The writer is a former lawyer from Manchester, England. She now lives in Israel where she works at The Jerusalem Post.