Etty Hillesum was a young Jewish woman who kept a diary during World War II.
History
Etty (or Ester) Hillesum was born to a Dutch father and mother of Russian descent on January 14, 1914 in the Dutch city of Middelburg. She spent her early youth with her parents and two brothers in Middelburg and Hilversum.
She and her family moved to Deventer in 1924 where her father lectured in classical works and later acquired a position as headmaster. In 1932 she began studying law in Amsterdam, earning her degree. On account of her mother she also studied Slavic languages as well as psychology. Knowledge was admired in her family and she is said to have cut back on food in order to buy books.
In March 1941, roughly a year after the German occupation, she began a diary and in July 1942 she volunteered to work at camp Westerbork to help the Jews interred there. She was not interred there herself though, and she traveled between Amsterdam and Westerbork. She was permitted to travel freely as she was a member of the Dutch Jewish council, her primary reason for aiding Jews. While working there she wrote many letters and entries in her diary.
In October 1942 she stopped writing in her diary. Some months later her travel permits were withdrawn and both she, her family and those she tried to help were summarily interred in the camp. In September 7 1943 Etty, her family and some 900 other prisoners were transported to Auschwitz. She was killed there on November 30 that same year.
Works
Etty's diary and most of her letters were saved and published after the war. Her letters to friends and family deal mostly with her views on the treatment of Jews, her experiences in Westerbork and everyday life for a Jewish girl in the occupied country.
Her diary deals more with her personal development and how she experienced God. Her views on the Jewish faith and the events of World War II are considered unique and unconventional.
A monument to her is located in Deventer on the riverfront and the local secondary school is named after her. There is also a modest museum dedicated to her.
A few translated quotes from her diary;
March 15 1941. "Even if there is only one decent German, they would deserve to be protected from the barbarian rabble and for that one German's sake one should not pour out one's hatred for the entire people."
April 30 1942. "Never resign, never flee. Better to cope with it all, to suffer. It's not so bad but never, ever resignation."
June 17 1942. "If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well."
October 13 1942. "One should want to be a bandaid on many wounds."
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