A timely, terrific free resource for families and educators

The following column originally was published in a number of APG of East Central Minnesota newspapers in October 2025, including  the Aitkin Independent Age, MilleLacs Messenger , Dakota County Tribune, Anoka, Blaine, Coon Rapids papers, Patriot,  Press & News, Sun Current,  Sun Post,  Sun Sailor,  Sun This Week, Laker Pioneer,  Monticello Times, Morrison County Record,  Union Times, and  Elk River Star News

 A timely terrific resource for families and educators

Two weeks visiting four European countries produced many memories, but one stands out: the two hours at the Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam. This place, which offers extensive free online resources in English, is in part a celebration of courage of people from teenagers to people in their 80s. It’s also a reminder to consider similarities and differences between our world today, and Europe in the 1930s and ’40s.

The museum features more than 130 individual stories of courage and resistance. For example:

• Teacher Joop Westerweel, who started a resistance group and helped 150 people leave Europe, in part by hiding false documents in a hollow chessboard.
• Miep Roestenburg, who helped hide young Jewish children from the Nazis.
• Walter Suskind, who helped get German guards drunk, and changed information on personal identity cards to help rescue 2,000 people.

Their stories are here: https://tinyurl.com/4z2n6wfk

An example of the people & stories found in the museum

Other examples include:

• Student Wim Speelman, who helped organize and publish newspapers that told people the truth about what was happening.
• Anton de Kom, a native of Surinam (at the time a Dutch colony) who was exiled to the Netherlands and fought for the freedom of both countries.

Their stories are here: https://tinyurl.com/3hfysyne

A special current exhibit describes the work of American Josephine Baker. She was a Black entertainer who, frustrated by the way she was treated in the U.S., became active in the resistance. She died 50 years ago. More information about her, here: https://tinyurl.com/6kmrjrrd

The museum also encourages visitors–either in person or online– to consider: What would you do when you see one group singled out for persecution? How would you react when you see people arrested on the street despite the fact that they are neighbors and law-abiding citizens?

One of the few examples mentioned of a traitor

In addition to sharing stories of remarkable individuals, the museum “highlights the collective effort and resilience of ordinary citizens who risked their lives to stand up against oppression. Visitors can explore interactive exhibits that bring these stories to life, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex moral choices faced during that era. The museum serves not only as a tribute to bravery but also as a call to reflect on our own responsibilities in the face of injustice.”

     

Story of a woman who fought for the freedom of both the Netherlands and then Surinam (a Dutch colony finally freed after World War II.

The museum reminded me both of differences and parallels between the U.S. today, and Germany in the 1930s. For example – threats to take over our neighbors, like Poland by Germany and Canada by the U.S. Or identifying political opponents not as those with whom we disagree, but those who must be prosecuted.

There also are differences between then and now – resources widely available today such as the internet and social media, that weren’t around in the 1930s. Or trying to deport people considered undesirable today, compared to putting them in concentration camps, and murdering them, as was done in the 1930s.

Special thanks to Filip Bloem, collections manager at the museum, for helping me sort through the more than 130 examples that the museum offers, pinpointing exact places on their website where these stories appear.

My wife and I saw many beautiful things in Europe. We learned a great deal about the history of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

But perhaps the best part of trip was this museum. It acknowledged what terrible things people can do to each other.

But even more important, the museum honored the creativity and courage of everyday people who challenged, resisted and ultimately overcame oppression.