In 1933 Barbara's family moved to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. They became friends of Anne Frank and her family. The Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940. Barbara's boyfriend, Manfred, had underground contacts and she got false papers. Her mother, sister, and father were deported to the Westerbork camp and then to Auschwitz. Barbara survived using her false papers and worked for the resistance. She helped take Jews to hiding places and also hid Jews in an apartment rented under her false name.
Well I said already, you know, how fantastic Otto was. He was wonderful with children. He was just incredible with children. He was patient. He was loving. Uh...he was everything you sort of want of somebody...he was also patient with this whole situation, with the fact that he had to leave all of a sudden. I...I'm sure they came from the kind of background we did, and they were reduced to what we were, I think they would probably... this was very much the same. It was very much the same. He was very patient with it, and he worked very hard in his business, and he did well for the short time, you know, that...that he had it. And...now the mother...I don't have that much of an impression of her. I can see her. And, again, I see this beautiful woman. I mean the eyes, and the hair, and just a beautiful woman.
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