#frieda belinfante

[queerasfact]

Frieda Belinfante

Today's episode is on the Dutch cellist, conductor, and WWII resistance fighter Frieda Belinfante. Join us to hear about Frieda's groundbreaking career as a female conductor, the many women who fell in love with her, and how to forge a 1940s Dutch ID card in excruciating detail.   

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[Image: Frieda dressed in a men's jacket and tie with a masculine haircut, smoking a cigarette and looking directly at the camera.]

[makingqueerhistory]

Frieda Belinfante

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[girlactionfigure]

Frieda Belinfante was a half Jewish lesbian who was a cellis, conductor and member of the Dutch resistance during World War 2.

She forged personal documents, arranged hiding places for Jews and helped bomb the population registry in Amsterdam, which destroyed thousands of files, hampering Nazi efforts to verify documents. Belinfante also spent months disguised as a man and was forced to cross the Alps on foot in order to escape Nazi persecution.

She's quoted as saying: “I have always done things for people… And I don’t understand people that can only live for themselves. I can’t understand it. Where do you get your happiness? Where do you get your satisfaction? What do you do with your life? What do you do with your strengths? There must be somebody who needs help. There always is. I’ve always helped people, whether they’re worth it or not comes out later. They haven’t all been worth my effort, but the effort was worth it.”

History Cool Kids

[higherentity]

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 27 March 1943, gay anti-fascist resistance fighter Willem Arondeus led a group in bombing the Amsterdam Public Records Office which the Nazis had used to identify Jewish people and verify documents. At around 10:15 PM, the group of around 10 people wearing police uniforms overpowered guards, sedated them and dragged them to the garden. Five explosions were then heard and the building was set ablaze. Firefighters then deliberately waited a long time before attempting to put out the fire, and when doing so they used large amounts of water, presumably in order to damage more papers. The attack destroyed thousands of files which could be used to check if documents forged by the resistance were genuine or not. Within a week, Arondeus (pictured, left) and the other members of the group were arrested. One of the participants, Frieda Belinfante (right), a musician and lesbian, managed to evade capture. Twelve, including Arondeus, were executed that July by firing squad. In his last message before his execution, Arondeus said, "Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards." More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9931/amsterdam-population-registry-destroyed https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2238500086335129/?type=3

[morbidology]

Homosexuality was identified as a danger to Nazi society and the Nazi regime attempted to eliminate it. Willem Arondeus and Frieda Belinfante were two openly gay Dutch artists who joined the anti-Nazi resistance. They helped Jews escape arrest and deportation to the concentration camps.  In 1943, they led a group which destroyed the Nazi records office in Amsterdam so that Nazis could not identify local Jews. Frieda managed to escape by dressing up as a male. She hid in Switzerland and eventually immigrated to the United States in 1947. Willem, however, was captured and executed. Before being hanged, his final words were: “Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards!”

[chasenews]

Channel 4 announces Stephen Fry WW2 gay resistance doc

Channel 4 announces Stephen Fry WW2 gay resistance doc

Channel 4 and Stephen Fry are to tell the incredible true story of how a group of misfits, including a gay artist, a lesbian musician and Jewish activists pulled off one of the most daring and far-reaching acts of sabotage in the history of the Dutch resistance. This 1×60 documentary will foreground the stories of artist Willem Arondeus and cellist Frieda Belinfante who lived openly gay lives in…

[camwielgus]

Willem Arondeus - "Tell people that homosexuals are not cowards"

I have been recently researching the history of the Dutch Resistance movement during the Second World War and I came across a figure I had never heard of before by the name of Willem Arondeus. While at first glance I was taken back by his absolutely beautiful style of art, his powerful life story moved me and gave me the inspiration to write a blog to share his bravery.

Known for his legacy of courage and fighting nazi oppression, Arondeus dedicated the later end of his life to preventing jewish people from being targeted by the Nazi regime. His efforts in the resistance movement indirectly prevented thousands of innocent jewish people from being sent to concentration camps. Before being executed by firing squad in June 1943, he reportedly told his friend, Laura Carola Mazirel, to testify after the war that "Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards".

Life before the occupation

Arondeus was born in Naarden in the Netherlands in 1894 into a large dutch family. From adolescence he was open and contempt with his homosexuality which later led a feud with his father that resulted with him leaving his family home at seventeen and severing all contact with close family. After being inspired by local artists, he went on to enrol at the Quellinus School in Rotterdam to study art.

He focused most of his professional adult life on art - being an illustrator, painter, and a designer of tapestries throughout his career. His artistic style is notable for its use of symbolism and expressionism and its modernist influences. Due to the hardships of living in a time of global economic and financial hardship, Arondeus lived in poverty throughout his life. In 1923, he was commissioned to paint a mural for the Rotterdam City Hall.

In 1933 Arondeus met his partner, Jan Tijssen, who would later collaborate with him in his fight against the Nazi regime. The couple shared common values and built their relationship on fighting nazi oppression and establishing justice. He would remain with Tijssen until 1941 when Arondeus realised the danger of his resistance against the nazis and feared them both being prosecuted. Tijssen is known to have survived the war but very little is known about his life after.

The Dutch Resistance

Following the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Arondeus joined the Dutch Resistance movement and formed the partisan periodical named 'Brandarisbrief'. While becoming known for aiding the jewish population in the production of forged identity cards and documents, Arondeus also assisted in hiding people whom were especially vulnerable to the regime. During his work for the resistance movement, he would also go on to meet Frieda Belinfante - a prominent lesbian and resistance figure of the time.

On March 27th 1943, members of the Dutch Resistance, including Arondeus, bombed the Amsterdam civil registry office to destroy existing identity cards in order to make it easier to falsify them for jewish people . The attack managed to destroy 800,000 identity cards and subsequently resulting in the group being able to save more and more innocent lives.

Due to an unknown member of the resistance movement betraying him, Arondeus was arrested in April 1943 and was interrogated by the Nazi authorities. Arondeus refused to give up any names of the other collaborators of the attack and claimed full responsibility - which possibly prevented two people from receiving the death penalty. Freida Belinfante was the only collaborator of the attack who went unfound and she later fled to Switzerland and claimed asylum.

Legacy

On the 18th June 1943, Arondeus was sentenced and executed by firing squad. His commitment to fighting oppression and his bravery shown during the war led to him being recognised as 'Righteous among the nations' by Yad Vashem. His powerful statement, "Tell people that homosexuals are not cowards", symbolises his longstanding dedicated to equality and humanity.

May he rest in power

[weimarlesbianisms]

Frieda Belinfante

Frieda Belinfante was a Dutch Jewish lesbian and resistance fighter during the Second World War. Her father was Jewish and her mother was not.1 During the war, she disguised herself as a man and helped falsify identification documents for people hiding from the Nazis.2 9 months before her death, she gave a testimony to USHMM.

Photo: Portrait of Frieda Belinfante, reportedly dressed in men's clothing to disguise herself from Nazi informers. C.1943. USHMM photo 21536, courtesy of Toni Boumans

Photo: https://youtu.be/R0nvPi4u6Fw

1. “The Frieda Belinfante Collection.”

2. “The Frieda Belinfante Collection.”

[queerasfact]

Hi guys! I'm listening your latest episode (Frieda Belinfante) and as a Dutch lesbian, it's very moving to hear this part of Dutch history told to me, especially because I was kinda unaware that it existed. Willem Arondeus's words moved me a lot as well.

You guys make my favourite podcasts, I share them with everyone who might be interested and re-listen to many episodes. Thank you so much for all the work and effort you put into your research, so I can listen to your cheerful voices when I'm commuting, cycling, working out or doing the dishes.

Lesbian salute!

Thank you so much for both your kind words and for sharing the podcast! We don't advertise and with social media increasingly a hellscape (it's such a worrying sign that Tumblr is by far our most functional platform), word of mouth is a BIG source of new listeners for us.

Lesbian salute right back at you! <3

[makingqueerhistory]

Let the story of Oscar Wilde inspire you to learn more about abolition.

Let the story of Victoria Arellano inspire you to call a congressperson about abolishing ICE

Let the story of Holly Woodlawn inspire you to hire queer people and pay them well.

Let the story of Dwayne Jones inspire you to donate to the first human rights organization in the history of Jamaica to serve the needs of LGBT peoples.

Let the story of Lou Sullivan inspire you to question and challenge the continued transphobia in our medical systems.

Let the story of Frieda Belinfante inspire you to fundraise for Rainbow Railroad.

Let the story of Marsha P. Johnson inspire you to support Black trans people now.

Let the story of Claude Cahun inspire you to make and distribute anti-fascist zines in your area.

Let the story of Amrita Sher-Gil inspire you to support safe and legal abortions in your country.

Let the story of Magnus Hirschfeld inspire you to do queer work in your field of interest.

Let the story of Rita Hester inspire you to attend the nearest TDOR event.

Queer history isn't just about learning, sometimes, it's a call to action. A reminder that no matter the time period, solidarity, community, and creation are the ways progress happens. Queer history is intersectional, inspirational, and integral to our continued existence. Learn it, and let it move you.

[yourdailyqueer]

Frieda Belinfante (deceased)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

DOB: 10 May 1904

DOD: 26 April 1995

Ethnicity: Sephardi Jewish

Occupation: Musician, conductor, WW2 Dutch resistance agent, artistic director

Note: She actively contributed to the resistance movement, mainly by forging personal documents for Jews and others wanted by the Gestapo. Together with Willem Arondeus, she was part of the CKC resistance group that organised and executed the bombing of the population registry in Amsterdam on March 27, 1943, which destroyed thousands of files and hindered Nazi attempts to compare forged documents with documents in the registry.

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 10 May 1904 Dutch cellist, conductor, lesbian and anti-Nazi resistance member Frieda Belinfante was born in Amsterdam. During the German occupation she joined the resistance and began forging documents for people hiding from the Nazis and their collaborators. Along with gay resistance fighter Willem Arondeus Belinfante helped plan a successful attack on the Amsterdam population registry which destroyed ID records so that forged papers couldn't be identified. While the other members of the group were captured and executed, she managed to evade capture by disguising herself as a man, and eventually fleeing to Switzerland with the help of the French resistance. Belinfante survived the war and lived until the age of 90. * Learn more about resistance to Nazism during World War II in our latest podcast episodes. Listen and subscribe on Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/working-class-history/id1355066333 https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1984080848443722/?type=3

[redshift-13]

Frieda Belinfante

“Frieda Belinfante was a Dutch cellist, conductor, lesbian and anti-Nazi resistance member. During the occupation she forged documents for people, and took part in attack on the population registry, which destroyed documentation the Nazis were using to round up Jews in the Netherlands. She survived the war by escaping to Switzerland, crossing the French Alps on foot.”

https://libcom.org/news/six-best-antifa-terrorists-what-they-did-cement-their-places-history-01072019

[chanelbagsandcigarettedrags]

Where do you get your happiness? Where do you get your satisfaction? What do you do with your life? What do you do with your strengths? There must be somebody who needs help. There always is. I’ve always helped people, whether they’re worth it or not comes out later. They haven’t all been worth my effort, but the effort was worth it.

Frieda Belinfante