The grandparent stolpersteine have been moved

 News from Amsterdam!  The stolpersteine for the grandparents Adolf and Isabel Weiss have been moved to their permanent spot on Lekstraat.  Last autumn when we were there, the street Lekstraat was all torn up.  All of the existing stolpersteine had been removed and the plan was to place the new and existing stolpersteine after the construction was finished.  We walked over there (not a short walk) and it was all a mess in front of the houses.

Turns out the current resident was very interested in the stolpersteine and wanted to know more about them.  I sent what I had to her through An.  She had even requested one but found that I already had.  So there's another person interested.

When I was there I waved through the window but got no response.  Now I wish I had been a bit more persistent; I might have talked to her.  We could have invited them.

Suzie, Megan Scoutie are supposed to be here to plant flowers and eat pancakes.  Things are currently messed up.  Scoutie (aged 10 months) went down for a late nap and Suzie is stuck at work.  It will get straightened out eventually.

Before we started

This picture was by my nephew in law Mark before we started.  I hope to have a video of the ceremony soon.  Hair loss and all.  We are looking towards the canal here.  That red building in the background is actually on the other side of a major canal.  I'm talking to the rabbi.  An is making sure all is in order.  Meredith takes a picture.  We're all here at the stolperstein ceremony.  We intended to make it happen and we did.  For 9 years, I had been telling my cousin and the rest of my family.  "We are going to Amsterdam and we're going to place the stolpersteine.  We are going to do it"  I haven't traveled that much and I'm not getting any better at it.  But we did do it.  We are in Amsterdam. 

Amsterdam bicycles

One thing about Amsterdam, many many people (esp adults) ride bicycles all around town.  They ride hard and fast.  You better watch out for them!  I am very surprised that I did not get clobbered by a bicycle.  Upright bicycles.  And no helmets.  People are going to work and play.  They take their kids and dogs on them.  Some locked, some not.  They are everywhere. 

But, you don't see fat people in Amsterdam, they are all riding their bicycles!

At the stolpersteine workshop

 The next day, we had the opportunity to visit the auxiliary stolpersteine shop in Amsterdam.  Previously they had all been built in Germany.  But the Netherlands group were able to build a little workshop in the garden of the Goethe Insitut at one of the tony addresses in Amsterdam (we learned that from our canal cruise the next day).  The 16th century building all face directly onto the canal in the concentric canals in central Amsterdams.  Who knew that they had gardens in back?  Because the Goethe Institut supports the idea, they were able to build a little workshop and build the stolpersteine right there.  I'm sure that's where ours were made.  Alexander showed us around and demonstrated how they built them.  To our delight!  It was a great treat!

The stolpersteine

 Here are the stolpersteine that we placed last week in Amsterdam.  At Sloestrat 6 in Amsterdam.  Placed 10/25/22The top group of 30 by the extended Barnes/Baumann family. The top 3, David Baumann, Marta Baumann and Lothar Baumann lived at this apartment in an area of upper middle class apartments south of the downtown area.  We met some of the neighbors.  More weak Frank family connections.

The bottom two are for Marta's parents Adolf and Isabella.  Their home (smiliar apt) on Lekstraat some ways away is surrounded by major construction.  The Stolperstein people picked up the existing Stolpersteine before construction and will replace them when the construction is over as well as placing these in their proper place.

These likely made right there in Amsterdam!

After the Solpersteine placing

 We took a group picture after the placing of the stones and our program.  It truly was a meaningful experience.  I say that because I was the one who dreamed this whole thing up, wrote and gave the presentation.  In Amsterdam, because that's where it HAD to be.  We were placing a stolpersteine (stumbling stone) at the last address of the David Baumann, including his wife Marta, son Lothar and also his in-laws.  In the picture, Rabbi ten Brink (who we engaged to participate in the ceremony) is right front.  Back left is neighbor Ted.  The rest at all of us, family members and some friends.  We came early, the Amsterdam city workers came and made quick work of the installation.  I talked about the members of the family, my sister sang, we read the statements of some who couldn't attend.  I talked about how this related to my relatives in the US.  Rabbi made some comments, saying as I had mentioned that this was now the final resting place of this family.  He also led a kaddush.

These attractive apartment blocks were built in 1937, considered an upper middle class neighborhood.  Half a block from a canal.  They must have been new when the Baumann family moved in.  I worry about Marta, her only child deported and then her husband and parents, leaving her until she also was deported to Auschwitz.

But we were here for them on this day.  When I found out, I told my cousin Maryann (center front) "we must place a stolperstein for this family.  We must.  If we don't do it, nobody will, it's our Obligation."

She agreed and, nine years later, here we are.  Bearing witness.

After the Anne Frank house

 Over the next while, there's going to be Amsterdam pictures.  Mostly about the stolpersteine, but not this one.  I would say that we spent bout half the time on tourist things and half the time on stolpersteine.  This picture was taken after our tour through the Anne Frank house.  We were going to stand against this ugly wall.  I said "Let's turn around and use that background."  Look at the difference!  This is what it looks like near the Anne Frank house.  Huge difference, you think?

Amsterdam is a beautiful city filled with canals and 16th century buildings.  And bicycles, hundreds of thousands of bicycles.  Used as transit, ridden upright by adults.  I am amazed that I did not get clobbered by a bicycle.

Another amazement: I made it to the top of the Anne Frank tour AND down.  Very vertical; that's how it was.  But I made it down without too much fuss.  More information supporting Lothar being called for deportation the same time as Margot Frank.  When I asked, the tour guide said that the Frank family lived somewhere south.  I find out later that she lived in that same area where the Baumann family lived.  More weak connections.

The trip was quite successful.  We got home on Friday; on Sunday Dennis felt out of breath.  What to do?  We decided that we shouldn't mess around with a pushing seventy man with shortness of breath.  We went to the ER; a CT scan showed a very large bilateral blood clot in his lungs.  Yikes!  He's fine, on medication, they kept him in the hospital for one night.  Too much sherpa, he says (he carried around a lot of suitcases both horizontally and vertically.

Pretty soon

Getting ready to go to Amsterdam.  Travel is so stressful.  I kind of identified some of the source of stress.  The idea of going somewhere and then 'going home.'  I am fortunate to have a stable and peaceful home.

OK, that may change when I get a new dog but that's later.

We were watching a murder mystery and they were looking for alibis.  And they ask, what did you do afterwards?  I went home.  I had a very visceral reaction to the idea of not being able to go home.

This is a very elaborate project.  Nine years in the making.  I am fortunate to be able to do it.  Turns out several younger family members are going all the way to Europe because they wanted to go and the time was good for them.  I wish we could have some 'new' members coming.  Marta's relatives were in on the planning but could not come.

It will all work out, really it will.

Store in Amsterdam

I'm getting closer to figuring this out.  The Amsterdam trip.  I hope it all works out as I hope.  I rented a small apartment on a canal in West Isles section.  What do I know about it?  Nothing!  It said it had 2 bathrooms but guess what, it doesn't!  I'm wondering where are we going to eat?  How shall we buy groceries.  Turns out there's not much in the scenic little isles.  But go under the track and we're in a cute little neighborhood with lots of restaurants and coffee shops.  And a six minute walk from our apartment, here's a food market.  I have arranges for taxi service and lots of other things.

Hope, hope, hope!