Well-attended commemoration on the Plein in Houten: ‘Freedom tells’ – Houtens News

May 4, 2024 at 10:00 PM

Commemorations

WOODEN The annual commemoration of the dead on the Plein in Houten was again well attended this year. At 8 p.m., hundreds of people were silent for two minutes in memory of all – civilians and military personnel – who were killed or murdered in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or anywhere else in the world; both during the Second World War and the colonial war in Indonesia, as well as in war situations and peace operations afterwards.

Annette Stolk – de Vries

Before the commemoration on the Square, there was a May 4 lecture in the Roman Catholic Church. The Utrecht journalist and historical researcher Jim Terlingen (58) was the guest speaker this year. He dug up dozens of stories of Jewish fellow citizens from archives and spoke to survivors. His lecture gave an insight into what this taught him.

The Utrecht Oratorio provided the musical accompaniment. After the two minutes of silence on the Square and the singing of the Wilhelmus, Mayor Gilbert Isabella and Children’s Mayor Mats Berlin laid a wreath at the Memorial. Students from Het Mozaïek and Aventurijn laid a flower heart.

PROMISE

In his speech, Mayor Isabella stated that peace is not a given, but something we must work for every day: “War is not history, war is current. That is why we must continue to account for how the Second World War started. It is up to all of us to prevent anti-Semitism from leading to a hurricane that blows away everything we hold dear” (..). He also reflected extensively on the dozens of contemporary global armed conflicts and wars. “Today, in the midst of our commemoration and our memories, let us make a promise to those who lost their lives: a promise never to be forgotten, to continue to fight for peace and justice, and to live up to the lessons of the past. to give to the generations after us” (..)

POEM

After the poem ‘Puinhoop’ by village poet Danny Keff and a speech by the children’s mayor, Annick Boerdijk, student at College de Heemlanden, recited her poem ‘How does it affect me’. The poem also appears on tile 2024 located in front of the Memorial.

The commemoration was closed by Pieter de Winter, chairman of the 4 and 5 May Houten committee.