Camp Conrad Rouveen

Apr 25, 1942 - Oct 2, 1942

Kamp Conrad, near Rouveen (Overijssel province) at the Conrad canal. Was a camp that was originally intended to have unemployed men start work on land consolidation. As of 25 April 1942, the German occupier used the camp as a temporary buffer for camp Westerbork, and the unemployed men had to make room for the Jewish men. Jews, primarily from Amsterdam, but also from Staphorst and Meppel, were forced to work there and in this way were isolated from their families.

In total 340 men lived in Kamp Conrad. They had to construct a road, the Afschuttingsweg, and the ditch next to it. Nowadays the road is still called the Jews’ road and the Jews’ ditch. On 3 October 1942 (Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement) the men were sent to Westerbork. From there they were deported to East-European extermination camps. Only four if these men survived the war.