Tampa Bay Daughter of Dutch Holocaust survivor speaks to students in The Netherlands
The Floridant/10215439

TAMPA, Fla. - Floridant -- Roslyn's mother was 15 when taken by the Nazis from her home in the Netherlands to Camp Vught, the first of 11 concentration camps where she was held captive including Auschwitz. Her father, from the former Dutch East Indies, was 18 when captured by the Japanese to become a prisoner of war. He was working as a slave laborer near Nagaski when the Americans dropped the atomic bomb there.

How did these two young Jewish teenagers survive their captivity continents apart to meet, marry and make a beautiful life after all the trauma of their past? Roslyn recently answered these questions and more in 3 virtual presentations she delivered to 300 students at Maurick College in Vught, the Dutch city where Sonja was first held captive. Roslyn was born and raised in Montreal and now resides in Spring Hill, Florida.

"Young people learn about the Holocaust and World War II from textbooks, but as the daughter of survivors, I feel it is important for youths everywhere to hear about real-life experiences of people like my parents and not just statistics. As my mother was their age when she was taken prisoner, it makes it more relatable for the students which helps them develop a greater understanding, empathy and compassion for what my parents suffered. I truly believe that in these times of growing division and adversity, and increasing rates of ​teen depression and suicide, youths everywhere need to know the story of ​my parents' amazing survival over suffering, humanity over hate, and ​triumph over tragedy, now more than ever," says Roslyn.

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Roslyn wrote an award-winning book about her parents' life story entitled, Meant to Be: A True Story of Might, Miracles and Triumph of the Human Spirit which is being made into a movie slated for production in 2023.

Sebastiaan van Oers, History Teacher at Maurick College, said, "The story of Roslyn and her parents came to us through her relative whose children attend Maurick College. In the context of living history and an increasingly international world, we thought it would be a good idea to have Roslyn give lectures in English at our school. The fact that her mother was in Camp Vught and was then the age of the students who attended the lectures makes it very easy for the students to connect to the story. Roslyn's story is full of situations that students can identify with as they are real-life stories. Our students were impressed by the story and listened with fascination. The lectures were a unique experience for our students and we hope next year to bring Roslyn to Vught to give her presentation in person."

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For more information, visit www.RoslynFranken.com