Maurice and Netty Vanderpol, WWII Holocaust Survivors

Dr. Maurice Vanderpol (b.1922) was born and raised in Amsterdam. In medical school when the Germans invaded and occupied Holland in 1940 and persecution and deportation of Dutch Jews began, Ries and his family spent two years in hiding until liberation on May 5th, 1945. After the War, he came to America, finished medical school and married Netty Swartz Vanderpol. He had a private practice as a psychiatrist and was a staff member at McLean Hospital for 35 years.
Netty Vanderpol (b. 1926) was born and raised in Amsterdam. During the German occupation of Holland she was forced to attend a school for Jewish children. One of her classmates was Anne Frank. In 1943 her father was imprisoned by the Nazis for assisted Allied pilots. Her father and family spent over a year in Terezin Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia. In February, 1945 her family was with a group of inmates from the camp that was the only exchange of Jews for German POWs. As a needlepoint artist Netty has exhibited widely. Beginning in 1984, for some years she dedicated the focus of her needlework pieces to the Holocaust and its affect on her life. She then branched out to other designs and themes. Ries and Netty are both very active with Facing History and Ourselves. They established the Walter Suskind Memorial Educational Fund, an outreach arts program at the Citi Center for the Performing Arts, in Boston. They live in Needham and Edgartown.
Listen to Maurice and Netty Vanderpol speak about their experiences in hiding in Amsterdam and in Terezin Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia.
Get the complete interview and more in "Those Who Serve: Martha's Vineyard and WWII" available for purchase at www.mvmuseum.org/shop-books.php.
Interviewed by Linsey Lee, Oral History Curator of the Martha's Vineyard Museum.

[@exeterline1930]

Dr. Maurice Vanderpol Of Needham, MA, died peacefully in his sleep on October 19, 2014 at the age of 92. Netty Schwarz-Vanderpol of Needham and of Edgartown, MA died peacefully in her sleep on December 28, 2022 at age 96. She was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and came to America at age 22 in 1948. May they Rest in Peace.

[@lorettajones5076]

Thank you for this retelling of your life. God Bless all who are listening.

[@jayelliott564]

Awesome couple! Thank you for sharing your stories.

[@djholliday5132]

Phenomenal human beings. We can never comprehend, truly, what people lived through during the Shoah & under Nazi oppression. We are losing the Greatest Generation. I pray a generation yet to come, will fill their shoes. Stand and be counted...against prejudice, racism & discrimination of ANY kind. ✌️

[@deborahwilliams8882]

What a wonderful couple you are. 60 some years and you can still see the love. Thank you both for sharing your stories with us. At this point I have seen many, many dozens of survivors testimonies and it is amazing how everyone's Road to survival has been.

[@maureeneckersley9172]

So well spoken ,so well told, so touching, such a grand man . Thank you for sharing,the truth, and your life story. God bless you.

[@realitycheck6]

I am SO grateful for these people for sharing what was a most horrific experience. We can't begin to imagine, but sadly, I believe that we are seeing history repeat itself.

[@chrissims3810]

Thank you for your testimony

[@olgahuman6693]

How is there people who can give this a thumbs down? Dank u wel, dat u die storie vertel het.

[@honesty5964]

Thank you. I learned so much from you both.

[@gailmcclellan8968]

God Bless you both!! You all are an inspiration!

[@peggyghirardello275]

Sir u r nice looking gentlemen and know u up age and when I hear survivor s stories u all have gret memory lots of u look younger then your age

[@911dispatcher1956]

God Bless Both of you.... You have been through such a horrible thing.... I am a Christian. I feel your pain.....

[@korobka80]

Thank you, so touching!

[@trainsdawgz]

Blessings to you for your sharing both your stories. So many suffered so horrifically. It hurts my soul to know this can happen.

[@bvpvandit2429]

Netty is unbelievably charming. Thank you both

[@leolawilhelm5255]

I'm so sorry this happened to you both. You are very brave to share your story to us.

[@damamadesi]

Thank you very much for sharing your life story with us. You are both amazing, intelligent and warm hearted people, and I believe everyone who knows you are happy that after all you have been through, you found each other and till this time we can see your love. Good bless you, your children and your grandchildren.

[@dianemardis8964]

Great interview. Wonderful couple.

[@llucero2260]

Thank you. So very powerful.

[@David-cu9cn]

We need these storìes to be told and retold as much as possible so thìs can never happen again.

[@lindac3129]

Thank you for sharing, God Bless you

[@tavencallihan2562]

♥thank you

[@irmabrizuela1293]

Beautiful Beautiful testimonies God bless you All!!! 🙌🏻🙏😭

[@annewhittingham8823]

Absolutely amazing ❤

[@charleslemert8095]

God bless you Ries and Netty

[@elaneradim6117]

THANK YOU

[@norml6874]

I liked the joke at 22 min... humor is everything when there is no hope!

[@maureeneckersley9172]

Love you both! You rock!

[@peggyghirardello275]

God bless u both

[@johnburman966]

This couple went through the fire and came out of it wise and not bitter....what an achievement.

[@raykay1229]

wonderful man thank u for your story

[@marilyntape508]

Yes humour helps us cope in dreadful situations

[@albertmarnell9976]

It is very painful to see people recall their hell.

[@JaneDoe-ql7sc]

Nettie, so caring to help people, most likely would've been shot if she hadn't obeyed that horrible Heindel's orders. Also, another survivor, Erica Lawson, mentioned that she helps charities but Never the Red Cross, for the same reasons. Maybe, they were frightened. But thank goodness the Red Cross in Switzerland was good Nettie & her husband both are such great persons, beautiful

[@peggyghirardello275]

So happy for u two

[@kimberlyhamilton864]

God bless this amazing couple!

[@faithdavis4453]

The Red Cross should hang their heads in shame.

[@louiseju]

What wonderful people and an amazing couple. I wish them and their family all the best in the world and beyond.

[@maryschaefer1618]

Would like to share the needlepoint

[@vivians9392]

My mother's family, who came from England, had a relative who had married into their family in the mid 1800s. Her maiden name was spelled, "van der Pohl" and pronounced the same as this couple. I wonder if it was the same dutch family name as this man?

[@marjakeizer9580]

At the back ground I hear a 'Zaanse' clock striking the time.

[@debrajarnagin7101]

I do not understand why that guy said his grandmother was a stupid woman

[@tinajohnson-bv9yx]

I have heard similar stories as Nettie's regarding the Red Cross who visited the camps. I would love to hear from one of these Red Cross people

[@user-uc6jk3dx3v]

I am a victim of law enforcement stalking me & harassment. My privacy was invaded they became aware I was a virgin, black, female and Christian. Crimes of sexual abuse for years Los Angeles school district teaching children to gender check me as law enforcement a black adult virgin strange. My parents raised me Christian and I thank GOD everday for my parents. Never received settlement money for 27 years of my life used by law enforcement medical experiments. Holocaust survivors have incourage me and I thank GOD for the survivors you are thee only people who understand 27 years of medical experimenting Minister Ms. Kelli A. Clift.

[@invisiblehandofadamsmith]

Went to krakow last month from UK and then see Nazi Germans camp. cracow abslolutely amazing will be back again german camp very sad place but everone have to see the history of holocaust

[@marilyntape508]

❤️❤️💯🇦🇺

[@alexanderhoffmann8368]

An Alle ! Bitte lesen : Gerard Menuhin "Wahrheit sagen , Teufel jagen "

[@rositahuff4858]

…human’s doing the thing’s to people ….I hope there is a place called Hell!!!

[@maureeneckersley9172]

Please nice lady please please stop feeling guilty,because you lived to tell these stories, I am Person who studies history, and your telling are some I have never heard! Thank you for your truths! I am a first generation Canadian and the Red Cross is the very last people I would ever give money or time to! I did hear of the falseness from a friend jahova wittiness who's family was there!

[@user-uf9nx7qi3n]

😢💐 Thank the British Army’s for starters 🇬🇧✅For your Liberty 🗽🇺🇸🇬🇧 if the British didn’t Hold the fort 🏰in 1939 with the Few R.A.F 🎯🇩🇪🛩 Hurricane 🌀 and Spitfires 🛩🐝🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧No New World 🌍 🇬🇧💐🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇮🇪Little John at your service 🙋🏻Try Carl Jung next time 🇩🇪or Anna Freud Helpful 💐✅

[@luzalgarin9518]

Thank you so much for sharing with me an infamous fragment of the Hitler's Nazi horrendous regimen. It must be a very sad sad odyssey to recount it. The crimes and cruelties committed against my sons and daughters, my fathers and mothers, my brothers and sisters hurt me deeply, regardless their ethnicity and nationality. In Isaiah 2: 4, Jehovah God, the Creator and Source of life, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, promises: "He will be judge among the nations and will settle matters in relation to many peoples. They will turn their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. The nations will no longer raise their swords against each other and learn no more to wage war." My immediate neighbors are Jews and I am a Jehovah's Witness. Their hearts are superior than pure gold by far. They are extremely kind. The gentleman takes care of my trash can every Wednesday without my asking him to do so. They are lovely human beings, and they are not in need of the smallest improvement.

[@aspincelaframboise5300]

HEARSAY for shekels eh…

[@stj971]

Excuuuse me???

[@bernied9415]

I have a problem believing all you are saying. When you talked of being transfered to to Thereasienstadt...but you didnt say from where? Most were sent to Westerbork...or Vucht...and THEN sent to wherever. There are many other things you say that do not make sense. How old were you when you went to Theresianstadt?

[@teresatv9209]

So you are saying she is a liar. You are an awful person. She knows where she was.😡😡

[@farapipsqueek636]

What are you talking about? She says they were taken to a transport center for about a week, then her father joined them. Then taken to Theresenstandt

[@vivians9392]

WHO are YOU to question these people? You sound evil! I believe every word of their personal testimony.

[@stevekinlough588]

@@teresatv9209, I dont believe he's saying that but Hetty did not mention the departure point in the Netherlands. Usually its Westerbork or Vucht. Bernie sounds like a Dutchman so he knows what hes talking about. However, what a bitter sweet story of occupied Europe. I am surprised to hear Maurice saying that Anne Frank and D-Day plus her knowledge of the camps. Maurice said maybe Otto Frank, her father, put it in after the war. I've never heard about that before.

[@Karina-er7mx]

@@stevekinlough588 yes It's actually a known thing regarding Anne franks dad adding stories to her diary.

[@Contessa6363]

Gob bless you thank you for sharing your story!👍👍🙏🙏🙏🌹🌹🌹🦮🐕‍🦺🐘❤️❤️❤️