You are now standing in front of Mathenesserweg 28C, an upstairs apartment where a Jewish family hid during World War II. Teenager Carry Ulreich, with her parents and sister, found safety here with the Catholic Zijlmans family. Despite great risks, they sheltered a family that otherwise had little chance to survive.
Carry was born in 1926 into a close-knit religious family. Before the war, Jews could live freely in Rotterdam, but after the German occupation, that changed fast. Bans followed one another, deportations began, and in October 1942, the family went into hiding with the Zijlmans. They lived in the shadows: staying quiet, curtains drawn, no contact with the outside world. Every unexpected knock could be fatal. Carry kept her thoughts in a diary, writing about fear, hope, and small moments of happiness.
The Zijlmans family helped as much as they could, providing food and hiding places during raids. Thanks to luck and clever hiding spots, the family survived the war.
After 1945, a new life began. Carry married in 1946 and moved to Palestine. Her diary, later published, offers a unique view of the war, not from fearful hiding spots but from hope and humanity.
Sources. Story: Source Story: Canon van Rotterdam Photos: Source Photo: Stadsarchief Rotterdam
