The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Selma van de Perre - "My Name Is Selma"

Episode Date: January 24, 2022

Author Selma van de Perre, a Nazi concentration camp survivor and Jewish resistance fighter, discusses "My Name Is Selma" and the need to highlight atrocities. Originally aired May 2021. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Salma of Funderpair, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. You're welcome. You have lived a life that is remarkable. It has been a life filled with triumphs, trials, tribulations, and you are now telling your story. You have lived as a Jewish resistance fighter. You survived a concentration camp, and now, on May 5th, the Netherlands are celebrating 76 years of liberation from the Nazi occupation.

Why do you think May 5th is so important to many people and especially to yourself? May the 5th, oh well, because it is, it is it is rather good thing to remember because we were freed from German occupation. I know people are celebrating today but many people lost lives and families and are not ready to celebrate every time freedom. I think the day before, yesterday was very much more important because that was the day of the death. Although, of course, today is very important, Liberation Day. And in your new book, my name is Selma.

You talk about your life, you talk about how you grew up in the Netherlands, you talk about how your family weren't even practicing Jews. You were just living a normal life and all of a sudden that got turned upside down when the Nazis started invading Europe. I would love to know what that felt like to you as a person where one day you felt like you were part of a community and a society and the next thing you know you were in danger just because of your family's history. Although my great-grandparents were very religious, but my father was a very great liberal, and so I got it on from him. And we lived in a life amongst all Christian people

and just were one of them, well I mean as civilians. And so it was not felt you were Jewish. My girlfriend knew I was Jewish and I knew who was Catholic and I knew who was Protestant, but it didn't make any difference. We would have had all friends. And that changed when the Germans came in. You talk about in the book how your life changed over the course of a few months where in one moment you were a young girl who were 17 years old and then because of what was happening in the Netherlands, the Jewish community you had to come together to to try to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the to to to to to to to to to to to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight to fight the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the Jewish community you had to come together to try to fight the

scourge of the Nazis. As a young girl who is dying her hair to change how she looks, as a young girl who is trying to help fellow members of the Jewish community with passports and papers and food and transport, what was going through your mind when this was happening? to thu thi to to to to to to to to to to th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi the the the the the the thooe thoe thoe the the the thoo- tho-thea tho-the tho-the tho-the the thoe the the the the the th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee the the the th help fellow members of the Jewish community with passports and papers and food and transport. What was going through your mind when this was happening? We were thinking that the end would come soon. In fact, it came later than we thought, but it was said all the time, it will only be six months or something.

Don't forget the Netherlands were neutral in the First World War. And the whole population thought that this time we would be neutral as well and no occupation was considered. So when it did come, it was a great surprise. After a year or so the declarations came in, that Jews were not allowed on the trams and not allowed in the cinemas and not allowed to visit Christian friends anymore, etc. And so that then one was made to feel an outsider, a Jew. When you were captured by the Germans, they forced you to work on an assembly line, manufacturing gas masks for the Germans. And you talk about how what you would do is leave some of the screws loose so that the gas masks wouldn't work properly.

I have two questions about that. Firstly, weren't you afraid that you would be caught? And secondly, where did you get that idea from? Well, I was on the assembly line and one of the first days I was sitting on this side of the assembly land, the other girl, Hattie Fowter, was her name, became very important in the resistance. She said, don't tie the screws too tight. She told me to. So I was very good.

I thought it was wonderful because some tells me we tried to do, you see. Not realizing how dangerous it was really. We thought, well, we were Dutch and we could do anything. And later on, when I had my thumb broken and couldn't work on the assembly line for a week, and afterwards, I had to put the gas mask in the box and check them. And of course, I knew that the screws were loose, but I still put them in because they were sent straight to Germany and Poland for the soldiers. When you look at the world today, you are one of the few the few the few the few the few the few the few the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the theaugheaughe a theating theating. the a theanitemanemanemanemanemanem. toaqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqa f f, f, fa fa fa fa faqa fa fa faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa fa ta ta ta ta ta t to Germany and Poland for the soldiers.

When you look at the world today, you are one of the few remaining survivors of that time. Many people worry that society will forget that story. As fewer survivors are able to recount what happened to them, those stories will be lost to history. And part of the fear is that history will then repeat itself. Why do you think it's so important for us to keep on to keep to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their to their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their will be lost to history. And part of the fear is that history will then repeat itself. Why do you think it's so important for us to keep on talking about what happened during that time when Nazi Germany was invading the world? Because that's why I think commemorations are so important. Because when you commemorate, you tell the story, and people tell the stories which has happened. And I personally go every year back to Ravensbrook with a group of women and men who have just finished their teaching training, teachers training.

And they tell the children when they become a teacher what has happened and what they have heard. And I've had, and I've had, and so that's why it's good. It's good. I do it. I, I, I, I, I, that's good, that, that's good, that's good, so that's good, that's good, so that's good, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that, that, that's that's that's that, that, that, that's, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's the children when they become a teacher what has happened and what I've heard. And I've had, and so that's why it's good. I do this every year. And I've done it for the last 20 years by now. And I have now, I have often get letters from, or emails, from these students, some of these students who have become teachers and who are telling the children. I often wondered how many of them really did something with this workshop information. But of course they did. That's very good to hear. I didn't think the book was going to be important. I didn't think the book was going to be important.

I didn't think the book was going to be top of the booksellers list. I was very pleased when it was going to be published, but never, never in. My life thought that it was going to be so red, much read, you know. I think the reason everybody should read the book, and I think the reason so many people have to be to be th th th people th people th people th people the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the tho the tho the the the tho the the the the the the the book the book the the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the book the the the the the the the the the thi thi thi thi should read the book, and I think the reason so many people have read the book, is because not only have you lived an unbelievable life through one of the most unbelievable and horrific times, but what you're teaching people about life beon that is so important. And before I leave you, you are now 98 years old.

And you still live life, you enjoy yourself, you play bridge. I was told that you play golf. I don't know if that's true. So you play golf. Until last November. Why? So playing golf, playing bridge, living life. I would love to know what inspires you to find your joy and what keeps you going in the world every single day. I do enjoy every day, I try to enjoy every day. So I try to eat sensibly, behave sensibly. And I try to have friends, which I have, and are very good to me, especially

I'm old. Every morning when I wake up, I'm glad that I'm alive. I'm very much realized the fact that I am alive and many, many, many thousands of people are not. Written the book also in commemoration of all those people who were resistance fighters and lost their life, helping other people to stay alive, really. Well, I will say this from my small little world. Thank you for inspiring us. Thank you for writing the book. Thank you for sharing your story and thank you so much for joining me on the show. I hope you get back to your bridge and your friends and continue enjoying every single day. Salma van de Peer by a donkey.

You're welcome. Thank you. Watch the Daily Show, week nights at 11th, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.