The round-up on June 20 was organized in secret. German and Dutch police officers closed off the areas and from 3.30 in the morning, speaker cars drove around to announce the raid: non-Jews were ordered to stay inside and Jews were told to report to one of the assembly points: the Daniël Willinkplein, Olympiaplein and Sarphatipark. Those who did not go voluntarily faced the violence of the Nazis and their Dutch collaborators, the NSB. The raid lasted all day. According to the Westerbork camp registration, 5524 people were deported to Westerbork that day.

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The Beeldbank WO2 (WWII ImageBank) contains 30 images of the June 20 round-ups. 23 of these photographs are included in the NIOD ImageLab’s Behind the Star project, which aims to find the names and to tell the stories of people who were forced to wear the Yellow Star in the Netherlands, most of whom were deported and killed by the Nazis. 13 photographs were taken on Olympiaplein and 10 on the Daniël Willinkplein.

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While most of the images are propaganda photographs by Nazi photographer Herman Heukels, among the photographs showing the round-up at the Daniël Willinkplein there are also four photographs that were taken secretly, presumably by individuals who lived in the buildings nearby and photographed the round-up from their apartment windows. In one of the images, two out-of-focus teacups are visible in the window pane (see image 112364). The image centres on the scene outside: Jewish people, surrounded by their luggage, are sitting on the ground waiting to be deported. Another image, taken from a doorway on the Krügerplein, shows part of a person’s face, and in the background army trucks into which Jewish people are being loaded (see image 96759). The third image shows the same scene, but this time the person’s face is no longer visible (see image 96758). The fourth image shows Jewish people arriving at the Daniël Willinkplein, surrounded by out-of-focus treetops (see image 96802).  While we do not know the photographer’s intention in making these photographs, it was a risky undertaking to illegally photograph the deportations.

 

This year, on the 79th anniversary of the June 20 round-up, a monument will be unveiled on the Olympiaplein. The monument is based on the above photograph taken by Heukels showing a group of Jewish people walking with their belongings, and consists of shadows cast on the asphalt in the places where the photographed victims walked, so as to remind those who visit the Olympiaplein of the deportations that took place there. The monument is designed by artist Ram Katzir in collaboration with students from the Amsterdam Lyceum.

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Photographs taken at the Olympiaplein on 20 June 1943