Leni Valk

"Leni Valk" Susmühle, Goch from Lacuna as part of the Goch history meets StreetArt Festival

Everyone knows the fate of Anne Frank, most of us from school. But every place in Germany has such a tragic story! Goch has Magdalena (called Leni) Valk (9/28/1933-21.5.1943) She is missing in the picture on Susbrücke 2, you can only see her silhouette. In the photo we see Leni's parents and their uncle Otto and aunt Sophie. The location was chosen because her parents met here in the park.

Leni lived with her parents Walter and Erna Valk on Brückenstrasse. Her father had owned the specialty shop for men's and boys' clothing on the market square since 1930. 
In 1938 Leni wanted to go to kindergarten, where she could be one child among other children. But a girl from Gocher did not want her children to play with Jewish children. Leni had to play alone, so she spent a lot of time in the park. According to Jewish tradition, school time began at the age of five. The Jewish school no longer existed because of a lack of children.

Leni and her mother experienced the pogrom night on November 9, 1938. They saw the flames of the burning synagogue. Leni cried when men from the SA and SS rushed into his parents' apartment. They searched the apartment. 
They even turned Leni's dolls pram upside down.On November 10th, Leni's father was arrested and taken to Gocher, later to Klever prison. Four days later he was transported to the concentration camp in Dachau, from which he was released months later.

Life for Leni became more and more difficult. On November 15, the Nazi regime announced that Jewish children were no longer allowed to attend public schools. Leni's mother therefore made the decision in December to send Leni to her uncle in Holland. A friend brought Leni to Boxmeer across the Dutch border. There he bought a ticket to Leeuwarden, gave it to her and hung a sign around Leni's neck that read: “Please help the child. Destination: Leeuwarden. ”After a long train ride, Leni arrived at her uncle's.

Leni did not find out that her parents were deported on December 10, 1941. Her parents were taken by train to the Riga camp, where the three and a half years of suffering began. Leni still lived in Leeuwarden in 1942 under the protection of her uncle and aunt. But as in Germany, all Jews in the Netherlands had to wear Jewish stars. On May 15, 1943, Leni and her relatives had to go to the Westerbroek camp in the Netherlands, from where they were taken to the Sobibor camp in Poland. She was innocently murdered with thousands of others in this extermination camp. I.

After their return from the concentration camps, your parents learned of the death of their daughter Leni, who was believed to be safe. (Source Heimatverein and Leni-Valk-Realschule)