EN

Lien Brilleslijper

Rebekka 'Lientje' Brilleslijper was the older sister of Jannie Brilleslijper. They were on the same transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau as the Frank family.

Person

  • Rebekka Brilleslijper
  • Born on: Dec. 13, 1912
  • Born in: Amsterdam, Nederland
  • Died on: Aug. 31, 1988
  • Died in: Oost-Berlijn, DDR

Rebekka (Lien, Lientje) Brilleslijper was a dancer. She lived in The Hague with the German pianist and philosopher Eberhard Rebling.[1] In 1941 their daughter Kathinka Anita was born, and they married on 16 January 1946 in Amsterdam.[2]

When she was living with Rebling at ‘het Hooge Nest’ in Huizen, she sheltered a number of people, including her sister Marianne ('Jannie') and her husband and child. On 11 July 1944 the SD forced their way in and arrested all those present after an hours-long search.[3] On 20 July 1944 she was sent to Westerbork, and then on 3 September deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.[4] She was listed als "Rebling - Brilleslijper" even though she was not formally married. This gave her the status of "Schutzhäftling" (protective custody prisoner) just like her sister Jannie. Her parents and brother were classified as normal prisoners, with all the usual risks associated with that.[5]   

She was moved from Birkenau to Bergen-Belsen, where she met Anne and Margot Frank in about November 1944. She also witnessed the deaths of Anne and Margot.[6]
On 18 July 1945 Otto Frank jotted in his diary: "Lien Rebling".[7]  This was the day she confirmed his daughters had died. In June 1947 he sent her a copy of Het Achterhuis, as yet unpublished. In the accompanying letter he wrote that she and her sister had given him "the last news" of his children.[8]

From 1952 she lived with her family in East Berlin. She performed for years with Rebling under the artisitic name of Lin Jaldati, singing Yiddish songs.[9] In the early sixties she had a disagreement with Otto Frank about political issues such as the denazification of the two Germanies. They kept up a correspondence on these issues for a while.[10]

The story of Rebekka Brilleslijper and her sister Jannie was turned into a novel by Roxane van Iperen and published in 2018.[11]

Source personal data.[12] Addresses: Bankastraat 131, The Hague (1938);[13] Bergen; Driftweg, Huizen (1943-1944);[14] Prinsengracht 579-II, Amsterdam (September 1945), Berlin (1952).[15]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Haags Gemeente Archief (HGA), Digitale Stamboon Den Haag: Gezinskaarten R. Brilleslijper en E. Rebling (geraadpleegd mei 2015).
  2. ^ Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegang snummer 30238): Archiefkaarten R. Brilleslijper en E. Rebling.
  3. ^ Ad van Liempt, Kopgeld. Nederlandse premiejagers op zoek naar joden 1943, Amsterdam: Balans, 2009, p. 192-194.
  4. ^ Nederlandse Rode Kruis, Den Haag, Bureau Oorlogsnazorg, dossier 190262:  ‘ABC-kaartje’ R. Brilleslijper.
  5. ^ NRK, Bureau Oorlogsnazorg, inv. nr. 1066: Transportlijst Westerbork - Auschwitz, 3 september 1944, nrs. 225-227, 788 en 884.
  6. ^ Willy Lindwer, De laatste zeven maanden van Anne Frank. Het ongeschreven hoofdstuk van het Dagboek, Hilversum: Just Publishers, Heruitgave, 2008, p. 90, 100.
  7. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_002: Agenda Otto Frank, 18 juli 1945.
  8. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_100, Otto Frank aan Lien Rebling-Brilleslijper, juni 1947.
  9. ^ Rob Groenewoud, “Bij de kwartierstaat van Rebekka Brilleslijper”, in: Misjpoge, 21 (2008) 4, p. 135-136.
  10. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code OFA_085: Briefwisseling van Otto Frank met Lin Jaldati, 30 november 1964 t/m 20 februari 1965.
  11. ^ Roxane van Iperen, ’t Hooge Nest, Amsterdam: Lebowski Publishers, 2018.
  12. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart R. Brilleslijper; Rob Groenewoud, “Bij de kwartierstaat van Rebekka Brilleslijper”.
  13. ^ HGA, Digitale Stamboom Den Haag: Gezinskaart R. Brilleslijper (geraadpleegd mei 2015).
  14. ^ Willy Lindwer, De laatste zeven maanden, p. 70-71.
  15. ^ SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart R. Brilleslijper.