Last month I was asked to sing in a place where I never though I would experience music: the former Nazi transit camp in Westerbork, the Netherlands.

Over 97,000 people passed through Camp Westerbork. Almost all of them were transported to Auschwitz and Sobibor and murdered.

One of the prisoners was soprano Erna Eisner Abramowitz. She sang for Camp Commander Gemmeker in his entertainment evenings. Through her performances, she was able to postpone further deportation for herself and her family. But after the very last concert, the camp commander withdrew all exemptions. Erna and her family were transported and murdered.

The recordings took place on the very spot where Erna sang her last performance.

Please take a moment to watch the documentary (in Dutch) so that Erna’s memory is not forgotten.

The documentary is part of a series to mark the 75th anniversary of the Dutch War Graves Commission.