A school notebook salvaged in 2004 provides the primary account of Helga Deen’s final months during World War II. Writing from inside the Kamp Vught prison camp in the Netherlands, the eighteen-year-old documented her experiences as a Jewish prisoner, creating a personal narrative that emerged decades after her death at the Sobibór extermination camp in July 1943.
Early Life and Migration
Born in 1925 in Szczecin, Germany, Deen held citizenship of the German Reich. Her father originally lived in Germany with his wife, who worked as a general practitioner. As the persecution of Jewish citizens increased, the family relocated to the Netherlands. This move occurred prior to her internment, placing the family within the shifting borders and dangerous political climate of the 1940s.
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Upon her arrival at the Dutch prison camp at Vught in April 1943, Deen began recording her observations in a simple notebook. She intended the writing for her boyfriend, Kees van den Berg. The text captures the daily realities faced by captives at Vught, providing a rare contemporary perspective on the conditions of the facility. The manuscript remained in the possession of Van den Berg for the remainder of his life.
Deportation and Death
The final entry in the diary is dated early July 1943. Shortly after recording these observations, Deen was deported to the Sobibór extermination camp. Upon arrival, she was killed in the gas chambers. She was 18 years old at the time of her death. Following the passing of Kees van den Berg, his son provided the notebook to archivists located in Tilburg, ensuring the document was preserved.
Legacy and Memorials
The recovery of the diary in 2004 brought Deen’s writing to public attention, establishing her place among Holocaust diarists. Beyond the manuscript, memory of the family persists through a memorial stone. Placed by the Dutch Sobibor Foundation, the marker is situated on the path formerly leading to the gas chambers, a route historically referred to as the Road to Heaven.
Fast facts
- Born: 1925, Szczecin
- Died: 16 July 1943, Sobibór Extermination Camp
- Citizenship: German Reich
- Occupations: writer, autobiographer, diarist
- Diary discovery date: 2004
- Internment site: Kamp Vught
Questions readers ask
When was Helga Deen's diary discovered?
The diary was discovered in 2004, after the son of Kees van den Berg presented it to archivists in Tilburg.
Where did Helga Deen die?
She was murdered in the gas chambers at the Sobibór extermination camp in July 1943.
