When the Benninga family fled the German-occupied Netherlands in 1940, they thought they were leaving the horrors of World War II behind

When the Benninga family fled the German-occupied Netherlands in 1940, they thought they were leaving the horrors of World War II behind. They were among just a couple hundred European Jews who managed to escape to the Dutch East Indies, a Dutch colony comprising present-day Indonesia. Chana Arnon Benninga was less than two years old when her family arrived in Batavia (present-day Jakarta). 

The war, however, caught up to them when Japan (Nazi Germany's ally) occupied the Dutch East Indies in March 1942. The Japanese occupation was harsh. In addition to their mistreatment of Indonesians, the Japanese interned Europeans. Eventually, Chana’s father was arrested and imprisoned. Chana, her mother, and her grandmother spent the remainder of the war in a number of internment camps. The camps were overcrowded, water and food were scarce, and disease was rampant due to poor nutrition and lack of sanitation.

During her time in the camps, Chana found comfort in children’s books. Her mother remembered, “We heard that there were some people who had children’s books with them, and even a ‘Leesplankje,’ which was what was used at that time to teach little children to read. They allowed us to use it, and with this Mother taught [Chana] to read. As soon as she was able to read a few words, she started the first book: ‘Ot en Sien.’ She read it endlessly.”

The Benninga family was reunited after they were liberated in August 1945. Chana eventually settled in Jerusalem.

Photo: USHMM, courtesy of Chana Arnon

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