Mies Boissevain - van Lennep
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A.M. (Mies) Boissevain-van Lennep (1896-1965), the Dutch resistance hero, was very active during the thirties, sorely tried in World War II and afterwards again full of sparkling energy. Zest for life, a strong sense of humor and witty remarks were some of her characteristics. With the slogan "Health + Beauty = Zest for Life" she exploited a beauty parlor almost in the attics of the huge house along one of Amsterdam`s canals where she, husband Jan and their 5 children lived until 1939. During the same period she became politically active in the feminist movement. She formed a new more active group and drew the public’s attention with her rhymed speeches at meetings and particularly with her witty limericks in the weekly magazine “De Groene Amsterdammer”, directed against all sorts of injustices. Renowned became her fierce action against a proposal of the catholic minister Romme who wanted to prohibit female labor which he considered "unnatural" and undesirable in view of the high unemployment ratio.
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[edit] The war
World War II began to cast its shadows. Mies became involved in receiving Jewish refugees from Nazi-Germany and even during the war in safeguarding Jewish children. The war plunged her into deep misery: her two eldest sons Janka and Gi were shot dead by Nazi, her spouse Jan stayed more than 3 years in concentration camps (Amersfoort, Vught, Sachsenhausen concentration camp) and finally died in Buchenwald, her youngest son Frans survived the concentration camps Vught and Dachau concentration camp and she herself survived the concentration camps Vught and Ravensbrück where she was rescued miraculously three times from the lethal gas ovens. Jan had been arrested already in 1941 because of business with a Jewish business man. After a few weeks he was released but shortly afterwards arrested again.
[edit] The resistance: CS-6
The house to which the family moved at the end of 1939 gradually became a center of resistance and sabotage activities, finding hiding places for Jews and other people, providing disguises and fake identification papers. Moreover bombing attacks and similar activities were prepared. The cellar became an arsenal of arms and explosives. As late as 1962 a plumber discovered by accident and to his horror in a tube a quantity of explosives enough to blow up the city of Amsterdam. Janka and Gi were together with others heavily involved. Their group was known as CS-6. It is often thought that the name was taken from the house (Corelli Straat 6), but according to other sources it was the code name for department 6 of the international operating group Center de Sabotage.
[edit] Imprisonment
In August 1943 the Gestapo struck a heavy blow. Mies and her 3 sons (the 2 daughters were not at home) as well as 70 others were arrested. On October 1 Janka, Gi, cousin Louis and 16 other members of the group were shot dead by the Nazis in the dunes near Overveen. Mies and son Frans were imprisoned in concentration camp Vught. Mies was employed in the "hospital". As "Zuster Mammie" (nurse Mammie) she became well known to the many prisoners she was able to help. Among them her husband Jan whom she hadn’t seen more than 1 years. In September 1944 the camp was evacuated. Mies was removed to the destruction camp Ravensbrück which was worse than hell. There too, she took care of sick prisoners but became severely ill herself.
[edit] Recovery after the war
End of April 1945, dangerously ill and weighing only 33 kilogram’s (73 pounds) she was transported to Sweden by the Red Cross. A few months later she was able to return to the Netherlands, physically in somewhat better shape - she had gained 20 kilogram’s (44 pounds) - and above all mentally unbroken, again full of sparkling energy and her old sense of humor. Of course the heavy ordeals and the camp period had left their marks, but also in a positive way. She had experienced the solidarity among fellow women prisoners as a valuable asset and she tried to translate this into various original ideas, although not always with lasting success. One of her ideas was that specific female influence in public life was needed. As this couldn’t be realized by mere female input to the traditional political parties she founded a women’s party called "Praktisch Beleid" (Practical Policy), based on unanimity in all classes of our society. Once again she used witty limericks to gain publicity. However, most voters considered this idealistic concept too vague and elections were a flop.
[edit] National Commemorative Skirt
Another idea based on the experience of unity against a background of female variety was the "Nationale Feestrok" (National Commemorative Skirt). During her imprisonment she once got a shawl, made out of pieces of cloth, rags, garments of relatives and friends, arousing cherished memories. Hence the idea that every woman should wear a colorful skirt, made from many pieces of cloth connected with strong emotional feelings, embroidered with names and other data. Each woman would have a unique skirt - a typical female garment - yet symbolizing unity in variety. And they should wear the skirt particularly on national commemoration days. Even a festive skirt song was written and composed. To promote the skirt Mies travelled all along the Netherlands and even went to the United States. American papers wrote enthusiastic articles.
