Rodi Waterman Glass's Story | Voices of Survival

Luck, Defiance, and Family:
The Survival of Rodi Glass

At six, Rodi Glass enters Westerbork transit camp, used for deporting Dutch Jews to killing centers. Sent there three times, she is spared deportation and released by a special pass each time. Her family’s connection to England sends her to an internment camp in France, where she endures until liberation.

Origins of a Wartime
Lifeline

Rodi Waterman Glass is born in Amsterdam to Sophie and Meyer and grows up surrounded by a large family. Years earlier, a recession had driven her grandfather, a shoemaker, to move to London. He built a thriving business there before eventually returning home. No one knew then that this brief time in England would one day become a lifeline.

A black and white studio portrait of a young Rodi, likely from the mid-20th century. She has short, dark, wavy hair styled with a small curl pinned at the top. She is wearing a dark plaid dress with a white Peter Pan collar. She looks directly at the camera with a soft, slight smile and dark, expressive eyes. The background is a solid dark color. — Rodi's Mother,
Sophie Kaiser Waterman.

A vintage black and white portrait of Rodi's father with light-colored hair combed to the side. He has a fair complexion and is wearing a dark pinstripe suit jacket over a white collared shirt and a dark tie. He has a serious, neutral expression. — Rodi's Father,
Meyer Waterman

My parents were very loving. My father doted on me. I was his little girl. And my mother made sure I always looked perfect, and she loved me very much.

Yellow-tinted, grainy photograph of a city street with a tram in motion, pedestrians crossing the road, and buildings in the background

A wide black-and-white photograph of Rodi's large, multi-generational family seated at a long formal dinner table. Many of the guests, including the children and adults, are wearing festive paper party hats. The table is set with white linens, tall napkins, and glass bottles. A large chandelier hangs overhead, and the room is decorated with flowers and traditional wooden furniture. The atmosphere appears celebratory and crowded. — Waterman Family party. Amsterdam. Circa 1930s

A Shifting World

Germany invades the Netherlands. After leaving Rotterdam in flames, German troops push toward city after city—including Amsterdam. Amid the chaos, four-year-old Rodi watches her world shift forever.

I still remember them marching in. We weren’t allowed to go out. We had to put the shades down, but we peeked out and I can still, in my mind, hear the marching of the boots goose stepping down the
street.

A vertical, vintage black-and-white photograph with a scalloped white border. Rodi's mother and aunt dressed in fashionable mid-length patterned dresses, gloves, and hats, walk along a brick-paved sidewalk. They are holding the hands of a young Rodi who is wearing a white dress and is stepping forward between them. Tall, narrow European-style buildings and leafy trees line the background of the street. — Rodi (center) with her mother and aunt. Amsterdam.

Black overlay on a a historical black-and-white photograph of a German military open-top vehicle filled with soldiers in helmets and uniforms drives toward the camera across a bridge. In the background, a tall brick bridge tower stands under a pale sky. On the left side of the frame, a large crowd of civilians stands on the sidewalk; many individuals have their arms raised in a Nazi salute as the troops pass. — German troops pass the Berlage bridge. Amsterdam, 15 May 1940

A studio portrait of a young Rodi, standing on a low, circular stage in front of a background with curved, stepped lines. She is wearing a thick, textured fur coat, white socks, and dark Mary Jane-style shoes. She holds a small bouquet of flowers in front of her and has a decorative headband or floral crown in her hair. — Rodi , Amsterdam.

Scratched from the List

The Dutch police arrive at Rodi’s home late at night and order the family to leave. They are loaded onto a truck and taken to Amsterdam’s Central Station, where they are placed on a train to the Westerbork transit camp. After several days, they are summoned for roll call. As they approach the table of guards, one recognizes Rodi’s mother from her family’s shop. When their names appear on the deportation list for a killing center, he quietly scratches them off.

A wide-angle black-and-white photograph of Westerbork transit camp, showing a series of long, low wooden barracks behind a barbed-wire fence — Westerbork transit camp, occupied Netherlands.

My mother and father knew him (the guard) because he lived on the same street where our store was. He’s sitting there with the list and my mother and father looked at him, and he indicated with his eyes that they should not indicate recognition. And when we came to the table, he took our name off the list. Had he not done so I would not be here.

Securing the Sperre

Rodi’s uncle has a connection who can secure a sperre, a document that temporarily protects someone from being sent East to the killing centers. The pass is expensive, but Rodi’s grandfather had hidden money with business associates. He buys passes for the entire family. With the sperre, Rodi and her family are released from Westerbork and return to Amsterdam.

A formal, close-up portrait of Rodi’s grandfather. He has short, thinning hair and a neat mustache. He is dressed formally in a dark suit jacket, a matching vest, and a dark patterned necktie over a white collared shirt. — Rodi's grandfather. Amsterdam.

That is why I always say that my grandfather is my hero. He saved our lives.

Beige overlay over reversed out Nazi-era document from the 'Zentralstelle für jüdische Auswanderung Amsterdam' (Central Office for Jewish Emigration Amsterdam). The text, typed in German, identifies 'Die Jüdin R.D. Waterman,'' born on April 26, 1936, in Amsterdam and residing at Zeedijk 104. The document states she is 'vorläufig von Evakuierung freigestellt' (temporarily exempt from evacuation). It is dated September 26, 1942, and features an official circular stamp with the Nazi eagle and swastika, along with a signature from an SS-Hauptsturmführer.

A black-and-white photograph of the interior of the Waterman family store. A long, dark wooden counter runs across the foreground, featuring a vintage mechanical cash register. Three men are positioned behind the counter; one is in a suit, while another wears a white work coat. The walls behind them are floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with boxes. Various leather goods, including boots, belts, and suitcases, hang from the ceiling and are stacked on shelves. A sign in Dutch on the front of the counter reads 'WEEST WIJZER KOOPT UW LEDER BIJ...'. — Waterman family store, Amsterdam.

Betrayal and the Sperre

The Nazis seize Rodi’s family leather-furnishing shop, but her mother continues working there under the new management of a Dutch Nazi sympathizer. She quietly pockets small amounts of money and uses it to buy food on the black market. When the manager decides he no longer needs her, he has Rodi and her family arrested and sent to the Hollandsche Schouwburg, a converted theatre that becomes the main assembly point for Jews in Amsterdam before deportation. Their sperre pass saves them from being sent back to Westerbork.

They had taken the seats out of the theatre, and they made the prisoners put something like mattresses on the floor, and they had the people there until they were being sent to Westerbork. It was a Friday night, and we stayed there overnight and the sperre got us out of there, and we walked back to our homes.

A vintage photograph of a young Rodi, standing on a paved sidewalk in front of her family's home- a dark, multi-story brick building with arched storefront windows. She is wearing a light-colored dress with a dark bow at the waist, white knee-high socks, and a large white bow in her hair. She is tilted back slightly, looking up at the building. — Rodi in front of family home, Amsterdam.

Return to Westerbork

Rodi and her family soon realize that most of her father’s relatives have been taken away and killed. The Germans seal the Jewish Quarter and launch raids across Amsterdam. Rodi’s family is rounded up again and sent back to Westerbork, but once more they are released because of their sperre pass.

A black-and-white photograph of Rodi's family gathered around a very long table covered in white linen. Guests of various ages are seated along both sides, many dressed in formal suits, vests, and dresses. The table is set with plates, glassware, and several ornate silver candelabras with lit candles. Several men and women stand behind the seated guests against a wall adorned with small framed picture — Waterman family, Amsterdam.

A historical photograph of the central road at Westerbork transit camp, showing people walking between rows of barracks and train cars. — Westerbork transit camp, occupied Netherlands.

It (the barracks) was either very cold or very hot. It was filled with lice and vermin. And at the end of the barrack was a room that had a trough with faucets to wash yourself, but it was only ice-cold water.

A black-and-white photograph showing the perimeter of the Vittel internment camp in France during WWII. In the foreground, several rows of tall barbed-wire fencing and wooden posts create a barrier across a dirt path. In the background, the ornate, multi-story architecture of a grand hotel stands in sharp contrast to the prison-like fortifications in front of it. — Vittel internment camp, occupied France.

The Final Arrest

Rodi and her family are arrested again and sent to Westerbork for the third and final time. Rumors spread that foreign citizenship can lead to transfer to a better camp. Rodi’s aunt, carrying a valid British passport, meets with a camp administrator, Fräulein Slottke. Slottke tells her that if she and her family are English, they must be sent to Vittel—an internment camp in France where foreign Jewish prisoners are held as hostages for exchange with German POWs.

Vittel was a resort town, so the camp consisted of hotels. We were still behind barbed wire but there were hotels because the Germans needed living space for the prisoners. Half of the city or town was camp. The other half was inhabited by the citizens of Vittel.

A historical photograph from June 1943 in Amsterdam. A group of Jewish men, women, and a small child walk toward an assembly point at Olympiaplein square. They are carrying heavy suitcases and bundles of belongings. Most of the adults have a visible yellow Star of David sewn onto their dark coats. The expressions are somber as they are forced to leave their homes under Nazi occupation. — Jews on their way to the assembly point
at Olympiaplein square. Amsterdam.

A vintage black-and-white photo with scalloped edges showing Rodi and a group of young girls walking down a sunlit path or street. In the foreground, Rodi is in a checkered dress walks toward the right, while behind her, a girl in what looks like a scout uniform (dark shirt and tie) carries a tall staff or walking stick. The background shows a stone wall, trees, and several large buildings with sloped roofs. — Rodi post-liberation in Vittel, France.

Liberation

Rodi and her family are liberated from Vittel by the French army of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, followed soon after by American troops. They are taken to a hotel in La Bourboule in southern France. Rodi enrolls in school there, but with no prior schooling and no French, she struggles.

Rodi can be seen waving from behind the flag

It was a wonderful day. They
[The liberators] were so wonderful and beautiful and sweet and kind. Everybody was overjoyed.

A vibrant colorized photo of Kalverstraat in Amsterdam on June 27, 1945. The narrow, historic street is crowded with people walking and is festively decorated with numerous large Dutch national flags (red, white, and blue) hanging from the buildings. An Allied flag, possibly British, is also visible. The atmosphere appears celebratory following the end of the war, with people dressed in mid-1940s attire. — Kalverstraat decorated with flags. Amsterdam, June 27, 1945.

A Difficult Homecoming

After the Netherlands is liberated, Rodi’s mother receives permission from the Dutch consulate in Paris for the family to return to Amsterdam. They take a train back and arrive at the same station where they were first arrested. On arrival, they are given some money and placed in former orphanages. Rodi enrolls in a special school created to help children regain the years of education they lost. In Amsterdam, the family business is still operating under the same Dutch Nazi sympathizer; Rodi’s father throws him out, and they reclaim the business.

A yellowed, official document from the La Bourboule Displaced Persons Center, dated June 16, 1945. Titled 'INTERNMENT CERTIFICATE,' it certifies the internment of Roosje Waterman, born April 26, 1936, in Amsterdam. The document states she was interned at Vittel starting March 11, 1944, and was liberated on October 25, 1944. It features a circular official stamp and the signature of 'Capitaine CHAUVEAU.' — Rodi's 'Interment Certificate' noting her internement in Vittel.

A black-and-white postwar photograph of Rodi and her parents. On the left, Rodi's father wears a dark suit, tie, and a fedora. In the center, Rodi, smiles gently, wearing a light-colored, short-sleeved blouse with a floral pattern and a Peter Pan collar. On the right, Rodi's mother wears a dark patterned blazer and a light blouse, her hair styled in a typical 1940s fashion. — Rodi and her parents, mid-1940s.

When we arrived in Amsterdam at the Central Station, Dutch representatives of the government gave us a laminated card on it that had a big “D” on it. The D stood for “dakloos,” which means ‘homeless’. And they gave each family 10 guilders. It was a very sad homecoming.

Light blue overlay A photograph of the devastated city center of Rotterdam on May 23, 1940. The scene is dominated by piles of gray rubble and the skeletal remains of bombed buildings. A large, twisted piece of dark metal rebar or a structural beam stands prominently in the foreground. In the distance, several figures can be seen walking through the desolate landscape, and the faint outline of a windmill is visible against a cloudy, overcast sky. — City of Rotterdam. May 23, 1940.

A composite image showing three photographs: (Left) Rodi's U.S. Naturalization Certificate from 1956. (Center) Wedding Photo of Rodi and Marvin Glass. (Right) Rodi and her father in Chicago. — LEFT - Rodi's U.S. Naturalization Certificate. 1956.
CENTER - Wedding Photo of Rodi and Marvin Glass.
RIGHT - Rodi and her father, Chicago.

Building a New Life & Legacy

Rodi, her parents, and grandparents arrive in New York and then move to Chicago. Rodi attends Hyde Park High School and marries her husband, Marvin, in 1955. They are married for 62 years and have three children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. For 43 years, Rodi runs a successful party-planning and wedding-coordination business. Her VR film, Walk to Westerbork, is featured in the Museum’s virtual reality gallery, The Journey Back: A VR Experience, and her story appears in Interrupted Lives: Nine Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust.

Life turned out beautiful for me. Luck played a big part in my life. I’ve been a very lucky person. Luck for surviving. Luck meeting the right people. Luck for having a beautiful family and wonderful friends.