Rachel (Chelly) Slagter
"I hope there is a next generation. I hope that every person has something good that they can carry with them for life. Everybody has and everybody should emphasize that things can be good if you just dig for that goodness. I hope that goodness is coming one day."
Name at birth
Rachel Slagter
Date of birth
04/03/1940
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Name of father, occupation
Lion Slagter ,
Rabbi
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Rebecca Jedwab
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, Chaja who is one year older, Rachel, and Samuel who was two years younger
How many in entire extended family?
Unknown, we did not have an active family life it was dangerous.
Who survived the Holocaust?
Myself, my father, Chaja, and Samuel
Name of Ghetto(s)
Where were you in hiding?
In sixteen different homes throughout the Netherlands, the Van Der Veer family was one of the righteous gentile families who hid me.
Where did you go after being liberated?
My father found my siblings and me through a list of hidden children who survived. He came to get me from the Van Der Veer family, and we returned to Apeldoorn, where I grew up.
Where did you settle?
Los Angeles, California
Occupation after the war
Social worker, I received a Master of Business Administration degree. Later I worked as an administrator for a Jewish home for the aging. I also spent time working at the Museum of Tolerance.
Children
Ruben Levine, Tech business and Rivka Baly, Jewelry business
Grandchildren
Gabriella, Jordan, Judea, Eli
What do you think helped you to survive?
I think it was genes you have to be strong. You have to be willing to see it through. You have to work very hard. You have to have a strong character and you have to mazal luck.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
I hope there is a next generation. I hope that every person has something good that they can carry with them for life. Everybody has and everybody should emphasize that things can be good if you just dig for that goodness. I hope that goodness is coming one day.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
08/07/2024
