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WERTH
WIL=PANOSCUS 6
Holocaust Hero
Local high school teacher connects
with family legend on trip to Israel.
Marlene Temkin
Special to the Jewish News
A
t Yad Vashem in Israel, there
is a memorial wall in the
Garden of the Righteous
engraved with the names of non-Jews
who risked their lives to help Jews
during the Holocaust. One name is of
utmost importance to Marc de Zwaan,
a history teacher at the International
Academy in Bloomfield Hills.
This name is Marinus Wastenecker
—de Zwaan's grandfather. In 1990,
Wastenecker was posthumously honored
for being a part of the Dutch under-
ground and acting against the Nazis'
regime in the Netherlands.
Growing up in the Netherlands, de
Zwaan says his favorite memories are
ones with his grandfather: "I was fasci-
nated by his stories of Dutch resistance
—they almost became a part of my
DNA."
De Zwaan teaches history at the
International Academy and spends the
second semester each year teaching
about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Through
a serendipitous meeting with Dr. Isaac
Barr, a "beautiful friendship" formed.
De Zwaan said when he first met
Barr at school, Barr said, "Wouldn't it be
something if you could see what you're
teaching in real life?"
De Zwaan laughed as he retold
the story and said, "I had no idea
that what he said would actually
Marc de Zwaan holds an old photo of his
become a reality."
grandfather while pointing to his name on the
After he met Barr, de Zwaan
wall at Yad Vashem.
received an email from Roz
Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, a
California-based international nonprofit
experience.
that supports Israel around the world,
"When I saw his name, I was over-
with a tentative itinerary for his trip to
come with such a wave of strong emo-
Israel. Barr, a StandWithUs-Michigan
tions:' he said. "The only other time I
board member, asked the Zionist
felt like that was when he died."
Organization of America's Michigan
Another emotional moment occurred
region if it would help sponsor De
when he met Dina Getzov, who his
Zwaan's trip to Israel, which it agreed
grandfather helped rescue in 1944. Dina,
to do. StandWithUs, via Rothstein, also
her sister, Fella, and their refuge pro-
sponsored him.
vider Kees Bruynes were freed from the
Rothstein said, "When I heard about
hands of Dutch Nazi policemen when
how interested [de Zwaan] is and how
Wastenecker and other underground
he teaches about Israel in class, the fact
members attacked the police, allowing
that he's impacting students drew me
them to escape in the confusion.
to his story. That his grandfather was a
"Meeting her was more like a reunion,
Righteous Gentile also made me think
even though we'd never met before. It
he was the right person to bring to Israel struck me as if I was greeting my grand-
... He teaches but also has this personal
mother in a way, or like meeting an old
connection with his grandfather who
friend:' he said.
rescued Jewish people from the hands of
"I'm still processing the whole trip, but
the Nazis."
it was such an unforgettable experience.
Although he was looking forward to
I'm excited to have more enriched les-
seeing sites he taught about, de Zwaan
sons because of it, and to be able to give
said seeing his grandfather's name on
more detailed and personalized infor-
the wall at Yad Vashem was a powerful
mation to my students."
❑
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