4.04 - Structure of the Camp Community

Structure of the Camp Community

The camp community consisted of a homogenous group of female Jehovah’s Witnesses of different ages. Most of the women had been born at the beginning of the twentieth century and were well over forty when they arrived in the St. Lambrecht women’s concentration camp. There were only two young Dutch Bible Students. The youngest, only 22 years old, was Gerdina Huisman.¹She was referred to by her maiden name, Rabouw (AMM, K5/6). Jans Hoogers-Elbertsen was three years older than Gerdina and therefore the second youngest Dutch woman of the camp community. The oldest Bible Student at St. Lambrecht was the Viennese Therese Schreiber, who was nearly 54 on arrival in Styria. That made the average age in the sub camp higher.

The camp community was composed of five Dutch, two Austrian, one Belgian, ten German and five²At the beginning there were six Polish women, one of whom was sent back to the Ravensbrück main camp shortly after arrival. Her name is unknown Polish women.

Within the group there were strong friendships. There was for instance a strong bond between Jans Hoogers-Elbertsen and Sjaan Pronk. Froukje Volp and Gerdina Huisman had already become friends in camp Ravensbrück. These friendships also showed in the choice of sleeping places, where these women shared a bunk bed.³PA, interview Huisman, Gerdina, 15-10-2002.

As far as is known none of the female inmates at St. Lambrecht held the post of Blockälteste.⁴Senior block prisoner in charge of a barrack in the concentration camps.

However, within the religious community a ‘leader’ was chosen who issued directions in religious matters. This was the German Bible Student, Alwine Blöbaum. She was reckoned to be an ‘anointed’ one and therefore had special authority.⁵PA, interview Pronk, Cobie, 18-10-2002.

Within the group discussions principally arose about matters of faith. One of the reasons was that the German Witnesses because of their long years of internment were not aware of the current situation regarding the interpretation of Bible texts and religious matters.

Furthermore, the difference in national character had its influence on the resistance of the religious community. The German Bible Students, in contrast to the Dutch ones, for instance were regarded as very docile. The Dutch women were very courageous. They had the reputation of being ‘cheeky Dutch women’.⁶PA, interview Pronk, Cobie, 18-10-2002.

Although some of the women enjoyed privileges because of their place of work, this evidently did not cause problems within the group. The good mutual relationships and the willingness with which all Jehovah’s Witnesses shared all advantages with each other as far as possible, were of vital importance. Those who by their work had ended up in better positions, took considerable risks into the bargain. The women working as chambermaids for instance, smuggled – because they received their meals in the kitchen – food for the other sisters in the faith into the camp.⁷PA, interview Hoogers-Elbertsen, Jans, 16-10-2002; interview Huisman, Gerdina, 15-10-2002.

The group felt like the closed unity of a family of which the members were bound together by the special value of their common religious convictions. Differences between the various women mainly had to do with their country of origin. All in all, according to Gerdina Huisman, there was ‘a genial atmosphere within the group, that was beneficial’.⁸PA, interview Huisman, Gerdina, 15-10-2002.

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