'I am one of few Jewish survivors of World War Two but one of many Jewish people to fight the
Nazi regime. My story illustrates what happened to thousands of Jews and non-Jews alike. I have
recorded the small details that made up our lives the sheer luck that saved some of us and the
atrocities that led to the deaths of so many as a tribute to all those who suffered and
died...' _______________ Selma van de Perre was seventeen when World War Two began. Until then
being Jewish in the Netherlands had been of no consequence. But by 1941 this simple fact had
become a matter of life or death. Several times Selma avoided being rounded up by the Nazis.
Then in an act of defiance she joined the Resistance movement using the pseudonym Margareta
van der Kuit. For two years 'Marga' risked it all. Using a fake ID and passing as Aryan she
travelled around the country delivering newsletters sharing information keeping up morale -
doing as she later explained what 'had to be done'. In July 1944 her luck ran out. She was
transported to Ravensbrück the women's concentration camp as a political prisoner. Unlike her
parents and sister - who she would later discover died in other camps - she survived by using
her alias pretending to be someone else. It was only after the war ended that she was allowed
to reclaim her identity and dared to say once again: My name is Selma. Now at ninety-nine
Selma remains a force of nature. Full of hope and courage this is her story in her own words.
