A few days ago I tweeted about the bravery of an aunt and uncle who saved two Jewish children during World War II. Not every heroic act in the war had a happy ending. My father and aunt’s cousin, Johan Herman “Jan” Kessler, a son of my great-Uncle, was in the Dutch resistance….
He was carrying documents when caught by the Germans. This is an account of his torture and death at the hands of the Nazis, from Jan Braakman’s “The War in the Corner” (2010). It’s difficult to read… Image
Jan stayed silent, refusing to give up information. After one beating, he could barely stand. In the middle of the night, his cellmate realized he had no pulse and his body was cold. The Germans dragged the body away….
He was 24 years old…. Image
After the war, he received a posthumous decoration from the Dutch government, the Bronze Lion, intended for servicemen who have shown extreme bravery and leadership. This is indicated on his gravestone… Image
Jan is also commemorated at the Vrijzinnig-Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague, where the names of former pupils who did not survive the war are listed on a stained glass window…. Image
For a happier ending, here’s the Twitter thread on my aunt and uncle.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Glenn Kessler

Glenn Kessler Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @GlennKesslerWP

9 Jun
My Tante (Aunt) Bep, my father’s sister, passed away in 2015 at 97, having lived a remarkable life. Newly married when Holland was occupied by the Nazis in World War II, she and my Uncle Bob decided in 1942 to hide two Jewish children from transport to the Nazi death camps...
She wrote a short history for family members. There was a constant threat of exposure. The German once came to the house to round up young men for the factories in Germany…
My father, 16, narrowly escaped by leaping out of a second floor window. That also distracted the German soldiers from discovering the children, who were brother and sister…
Read 8 tweets
9 Jun
I joke that I belong to the Washington Post book of month club but lately it's been the book of week. Here are the great books I've read in recent weeks by @frankelglenn @ktumulty @JobyWarrick @michaeldobbs @blaineharden Film, politics, national security, history..take your pick
Read 7 tweets
21 May
This new complaint seeking an ethics investigation of McCarthy's housing arrangement with Frank Luntz draws heavily on information contained in three of our fact checks...
1. McCarthy's "room" that he rented was in a 7,000-square foot penthouse apartment. washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/…
2. The housing arrangement violated the condo by-laws, which required the entire space be rented for not less than six months. washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
9 May
There are usually two sides to every story. My friend @emilymiller has written a remarkable account of her public “firing” at the FDA last year. It’s a story of spin and betrayal and offers real insight in how Washington works….
…Emily writes that she had nothing to do with FDA chief Stephen Hahn’s very public mistake at a White House news briefing, repeated by President Trump. But he needed a sacrificial lamb to distract from the PR disaster…
Yet even as she was being “fired” for PR reasons, Emily was asked to stay on as Hahn’s senior advisor. She had only been at the FDA for two weeks and had just moved back to Texas. Where could she go?…
Read 6 tweets
3 May
"We found that Warren’s relying on family lore rather than official documentation to make an ethnic claim raised serious concerns about Warren’s judgment." washingtonpost.com/news/fact-chec…
Biden"suddenly recalls being arrested in South Africa — and being thanked by Mandela for being arrested. There is no evidence for either claim; neither appears remotely credible." washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/…
"As far as we can determine, Biden participated in just one walk-out at one restaurant. He also picketed a segregated movie theater." washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/…
Read 4 tweets
28 Apr
I sometimes joke that I am part of the @washingtonpost book of the month club but my colleagues are in overdrive. Arrived today, the latest @blaineharden opus! Looks amazing amazon.com/Murder-Mission…
I am right now in the middle of @ktumulty's fascinating and groundbreaking bio of Nancy Reagan. amazon.com/Triumph-Nancy-…
Before that book, I had just finished @frankelglenn's groundbreaking and beautifully-written account of the making of "Midnight Cowboy," the third in his series of movie westerns. amazon.com/Shooting-Midni…
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(