Welcome!
Welcome my friends. I am honored by your presence here.
I had heard Ilse Smit was looking for someone to help write her story—you know, for her kids and grandkids to read someday. Yeah, yeah, yeah, good luck. Then I heard her tell a little piece of that story, and I was so moved, I hastened to offer my help. It interfered with my writing schedule—after all, I am an author with a few short stories in print and a big novel in progress. But, like I said, I was moved.
Ilse Smit & Dorothy Read
When I read through Ilse Smit’s thin little spiral notebook of journalings, I knew this was a story that went beyond family history. This was world history and it needed to be shared with a world audience. And so, Ilse and I began the project that became the book, END THE SILENCE.
Watch the program.
Just saw your show on Idaho Public TV. What brought Ilse to the United States? She said she wanted to tell the story for her children. How did they react? You are an inspiration. Thank you.
Good questions, Teresa. Ilse repatriated to Holland in 1950, when the Dutch East Indies became the Republic of Indonesia. In 1957, she and her Dutch husband, Jan, decided to follow the American dream and emigrated to the U.S. Her children, I think, are glad she has been able to share her story, but many of the details have been painful for them to read.
Please tell Ilse & Edith we are so proud of them for telling their story. We are part of a network of survivors and descendants of those survivors from all four corners of the globe.
Dank u wel, Terima Kassi, Thank You,
Bianca
Dear Ilse & Edith,
I have just watched the interview in IdahoPTV and I am very proud of you for telling your story. I am working for an organisation here in the Netherlands called the LV-INOG, the National Organisation for the Dutch-East Indies Post-War Generation. The organisation helps those who have inherited the trauma’s through there parents (unwillingly) or for those who have experienced the Japanees camps or the “Bersiap” (civil war) periode.
One of the major problems we expierence from our members is that they have no idea what our parents went through or experienced. The fact that our parents don’t ever want to talk about the past is understandable, yet it is a piece of our heritage. Luckily, more and more elderly see that silence is not the answer and decide to speak out. So once again, thankyou and I am proud that you took the step to close another chapter in your life. Your story will help alot of those living outside of the Netherlands. I am at the moment translating my website to english, but it will take a while as there is so much information to translate.
For your interest and maybe for your sibbelings who may be able to read dutch, you can go to http://www.inog.org for more information.
Take care and I will be looking out for your book…
Barry Roggeveen
Thank you so much for this information, Barry. I often say I am the conduit between Ilse’s experience and the printed page. I will now be a conduit between your project and Ilse’s Dutch-speaking relatives, along with other Dutch speakers who visit this site. I have learned, from Ilse, the importance of communication in healing the wounds of the survivors, and now you address the wounds that are passed on to new generations. I appreciate your work and look forward to reading more about it on your website–in English!
Listened to the interview on U Tube and I strongly beleive that this book needs to be published because a lot of folks are in denial about the abuse that many took during those times.
To Whom It May Concern,
The End of Silence Book would give our school children the knowledge and understanding of what happened during the IIWorld War in Indonesia, as well as Europe and N. Africa, and other places, too. Of course, it would give all people, young and old alike, the facts of what happened in the S. Pacific, with the Japanese and the Indonesian peoples, specifically.
Ilse Smit and Dorothy Read are my close friends, and have been for almost 21 years They are trust worthy, and Christian people. It is a true, but graphic story, and would do the world good, to read this book. Many will appreciate you publishing The End Of Silence. Thank You, most Sincerely.
Kathleen (Kay) Anderson