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May 3 2025: Poetry, music and history at the Kindermonument

webbouwer — Wed, 14 May 2025 09:47:30 +0000

On May 3 the KUZ-huis, together with the Hook of Holland historical society and INOVA elementary school, organised an afternoon of poetry and music at the ‘Channel Crossing to Life’ monument.
Between 14.00 and 16.00 hrs 16 poets, 6 schoolchildren, 3 musicians and Gerben Visser brought the monument to life and made around 50 interested spectators think about war and peace.

Seven of the poems were about the Kindertransports. We recorded these, you can watch them by clicking on the titles below. The event was organised to celebrate 80 years of liberation of the Hook of Holland. It was made possible by CultuurConcreet.

Overseas
Irma Moekestorm

Auntie Truus
Ed van Berkel

Transporting children
Tom van Ooijen

The Jewish Kindertransport
Jaap van Oostrum

A silent farewell
Jacqueline Duvalois

The train to nothing
Jelle Ravestein

Kindertransports
Ria Oosterwijk

10 July 2019 – Reliving a journey

webbouwer — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 14:43:56 +0000

In July 2019 four Kinder (all around the age of ninety) made the journey from Vienna again. They were accompanied by their children and grandchildren. On July 10 they finished the continental part of the journey in Hook of Holland. At the Kindermonument they were welcomed by children of the local elementary school OBS Inova, after which they left for the station and the ferry to England. At the station Mirjam Visser (Historical Society Hook of Holland) told them about the significance of this place, as this was where they arrived at and left from back then.

2 december 2018 – Remembrances

webbouwer — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 12:46:03 +0000

On 2 December 1938 the first Kindertransport with Jewish refugee children arrived at Liverpool Street Station in London. They had left the Hook of Holland on December 1. To remember this occasion 80 years later, small ceremonies were held on 2 December 2018 at the Kindermonuments in London, Hook of Holland, Berlin and Gdansk. The initiative for this came from the Mayfair & Soho Amnesty Group London.

12 april 2014 – Visiting Veterans

webbouwer — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 12:43:37 +0000

On 12 April 2014 a group of Veterans on Motorcycles visited Hook of Holland during their annual ride through the Netherlands. Here they visited the Kindermonument.

The men were all veterans of UN Peacekeeping operations. They laid flowers at the monument. Mirjam Visser told them about the background of the transports and Ed van Berkel recited a poem he wrote about it.

2013 – Adoption by Van Rijckevorselschool (today Inova)

webbouwer — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:53:35 +0000

In 2013 the monument was adopted by the Van Rijckevorselschool. Every year since then a group of children holds a remembrance ceremony at the monument led by Ben Blokland, one of their teachers .

They have also been present at other remembrances held at the monument. On 4 May 2017 (the Dutch Day of Remembrance) they talked about this in the Jeugdjournaal (a newscast on national television for children), Klokhuis (an educational television programme) and School TV