Louis Wijnberg - On Europe during and after World War II

This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s History Potluck Series. In this interview, Mr. Wijnberg shares photos and documents from his life. He begins by sharing photos taken at the end of World War II while he was still in Europe. He also shares documents he received from the Dutch government detailing what happened to his parents and younger brother who died in camps during the war. He explains that he and his twin were sent away early enough before the war, but his family could not escape later. His mother and younger brother were murdered in death camps in 1943 and his father died a year later of typhus in a work camp. Mr. Wijnberg goes on to share photos of his early childhood in Holland, including family trips to the beach, photographs of his parents, and school pictures. He also has photos of his life after the war, including photos from his daughter’s wedding. Throughout the interview, Mr. Wijnberg contextualizes the photographs and documents he brought, providing insight into what it was like to be in Europe after the fighting ceased in World War II and sharing memories triggered by the photographs. He recounts a memory about taking a stamp collection from a house in Germany and later trying to return it. He also explains how, after the war, he was able to go to school because of the G.I. Bill where he started studying chemical engineering but fell in love with physics because of a good professor. The interview concludes with Mr. Wijnberg explaining why some of the documents has his name spelled with a “y” instead of “ij” because in the United States, the “ij” combination is not common.