The 'Jozef and Regina' monument in Bedum, a part of the Het Hogeland municipality, stands as a tribute to the Jewish couple Meijer. Tragically, they were deported by the occupiers during World War II to the Auschwitz extermination camp, where they lost their lives on August 27, 1943.
In the midst of the occupation, Dutch agents W.F. Homoet and H. van der Heide received orders to apprehend Jozef Meijer and Regina Meijer-Cohen. They courageously refused this directive and went into hiding themselves. However, both the couple and the agents were eventually captured by the occupiers.
Jozef and Regina were the last Jewish residents of Bedum at the time of their deportation. Their heartbreaking fate marked the poignant conclusion of a rich history of Judaism in the Bedum municipality. On August 27, 1943, the Meijer couple met their tragic end in Auschwitz. This plaque is affixed to the wall of the house they once called home, serving as a solemn reminder of their story.
The text on the glass plate is a poem by Marian Hangyi and reads:
'THE TRACES
OF THEIR LIVES
CROSSED EACH OTHER
BUT
THEY WERE JEWISH A
ND WERE NOT ALLOWED TO EXIST
JOZEF MEIJER AND REGINA
MEIJER-COHEN
FOUND DEATH
ALONG THE RAILROAD TRACKS
TO AUSCHWITZ
INNOCENTLY
GASSED.'
The plaque is attached to the wall of the building at Boterdiep Wz 13 in Bedum.
