siblings unlock a suitcase with mysterious contents inside that revealed their parents’ dark secret

A Miraculous Escape

All their dreams shattered when Nazis nabbed and incarcerated Mimi. According to the usual order, the woman would have been taken to the concentration camp. However, Barend did not let that happen. He managed to get her out of that. “He may have been assisted by the Dutch underground. He may have paid money to have her freed. I don’t know,” Boers believes.     

A Refugee Camp

They did not have much time, the couple ran through Belgium, France, and Spain to escape the Holocaust. Lastly, they ended up at Jamaica in a camp established for Dutch Jewish refugees. They stayed there for a while. 

Canada To Fight

After some time, Barend flew to Canada to participate in the war along the side of Dutch battalion. He was given proper training before that and once the man got fully trained he was sent to England where he took on the enemies in the war.     

Returning To Holland

The man managed to survive the war and made a return to the Netherlands only to get tragic news. He learned that all his brothers had been murdered brutally while he was away. Fortunately, his mother managed to survive by hiding inside a closet for three years. But did it all have anything to do with the suitcase? 

Returning To Netherlands

It was on May 5, 1945, Barend’s wife was staying in England. She had moved to the country a year after coming to Jamaica. Barend mailed her a telegram asking her to return. In the letter, he wrote, “Holland is liberated. You can return.”    

Starting Over Alone

Mimi came back to Amsterdam and the duo restarted their life together. Barend re-established his family textile factory and worked towards its growth. Whereas Mimi focussed on nurturing her family. Strangely, from their good times to the bad times, they did not leave their suitcase. And now even after decades, many things had changed but the suitcase and its content remained the same.