Survival, resistance and love
Harry Cohen and Sieny Kattenburg met during the Second World War. He worked as a bicycle courier for the Expositur, while she was a childcare worker at the daycare opposite the Hollandsche Schouwburg Theater. They married on 28 June 1943, in the midst of Nazi raids and resistance efforts. Their wedding took place during Sieny’s lunch break, while Jewish children were being rescued around them. As Sieny was still a minor, she received permission by post from Westerbork, where her parents were awaiting deportation.
With remarkable empathy, and based on hundreds of hours of research and interviews, Esther Shaya has created a moving portrait of these modest heroes. After the war, Harry and Sieny built a family together, moved to New York and Mexico, and eventually settled in Buitenveldert, near Amsterdam. This biography spans an entire century, weaving together themes of humour, resistance, grief, and resilience.