During the event, the short film ‘Tomorrow You Can Stay Over’ was also shown. The film tells the special and moving story of three generations: Emmy Drop-Menko, her daughter Jolande Drop, and granddaughter Rose Heijnen. They show how memories of the war continue to influence life today, and why it remains important to share these stories in the classroom.
Family Stories Bring History Close
Emmy Drop-Menko shared how she remained silent about her past for many years but has now been giving guest lessons for a quarter of a century: “I kept my mouth shut for 54 years. But now I have been giving guest lessons for 25 years. Young people are so interested. Every teacher says: ‘I can’t tell it like you do.’ That is so important for the children.”
Jolande and Rose also shared what passing on this family history means to them. Jolande said she wanted to give her children a healthy, open Jewish identity. Rose indicated that the film gave her even more insight into their family past and into Amersfoort. Emmy’s visit to the old family home on Madoerastraat made a big impression: “The kitchen still looks like it did in the past. That suddenly makes it feel like not so long ago.”
This Program Is Especially Needed Now
Alderman Tyas Bijlholt was present at the launch. He emphasized how valuable the program is for education in the city: “Stories like those of Emmy, Jolande, and Rose bring the war close. Especially now that the world is divided, it is important that young people learn what freedom and living together mean.”
The film and program line are available to schools. Teachers who want to work with it can visit the NEOS Cultural Education website. With ‘All Colors of Freedom,’ education in the Amersfoort region gains an innovative way to make difficult themes discussable and involve young people with the past and current events.
