Israël Chaim "Ischa" Meijer (14 February 1943 – 14 February 1995) was a Dutch journalist, television presenter, radio presenter, critic and author. He survived the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...

Bergen Belsen Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentra ...

along with his parents.

Youth

Ischa Meijer was born as the oldest child of historian

Jaap Meijer Jacob "Jaap" Meijer (20 April 1905 in Amsterdam – 2 December 1943 in Meer, Belgium) was a track cyclist from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. There he won the silver medal ...

and Liesbeth Voet. He was deported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as a baby along with his parents. They managed to survive, and returned to Amsterdam after the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, where Ischa's siblings Mirjam and Job were born. The family emigrated to

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

in Surinam in the 1950s, fearing a

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

take-over. After a few years the Meijer family returned to Amsterdam after having difficulties adjusting to the environment. Ischa grew up in a family traumatised by the experiences of the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

which led to emotional as well as alleged physical abuse by his parents. He was thrown out of the house at age eighteen. His parents also ended contact with Ischa's siblings.

Career

Ischa started working as a journalist for '; later on he also started working for the ''

Haagse Post ''HP/De Tijd'' is a Dutch language monthly opinion magazine published by the Audax Groep. Its editorial offices are in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Alongside ''De Groene Amsterdammer'', ''Vrij Nederland'' and ''Elsevier'', it is one of the most influe ...

'', ''

Nieuwe Revu The ''Nieuwe Revu'' is a weekly general interest magazine from the Netherlands, published on Wednesdays and written in Dutch. History and profile In the 1970s the magazine was explicitly left-winged and focused on sport, sex, sensation and socia ...

'' (national weekly magazine) and ''

Vrij Nederland ''Vrij Nederland'' (Free Netherlands) is a Dutch magazine, established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper. It has since grown into a magazine. The originally weekly and now monthly magazi ...

'' (national weekly magazine). He became well known for his extensive and disclosing interviews. In 1984 he published a controversial interview with politician (and at that time mayor of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

) Bram Peper, which caused a lot of commotion throughout the country. The interview eventually was one of the reasons for Peper to divorce his wife, and start a period of heavy

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

Radio and television

For a considerable time Meijer was the host of the radio show ''Een Uur Ischa'' (One Hour Ischa), later transformed into ''Een Dik Uur Ischa'' (lit. An extended Hour Ischa). He also hosted a late-night show on the television network

RTL 5 RTL 5 is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel that was launched on 2 October 1993. It mainly broadcasts American films and hit series but also reality shows, comedy, travel, international shows and local productions including '' Expeditie Rob ...

Relationships

Meijer had several relationships throughout his life, and also visited

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pen ...

on a regular basis, giving him the inspiration to write the book ''Hoeren'' (Hookers) (1980). In the late 1980s Meijer had a relationship with comedian and actress Jenny Arean. In the years preceding his death he had a solid relationship with writer

Connie Palmen Aldegonda Petronella Huberta Maria "Connie" Palmen (born 25 November 1955) is a Dutch author. Palmen debuted with the novel ''De wetten'' (1990), published in the United States as ''The Laws'' (1993), translated by Richard Huijing. ''The Laws'' ...

, who wrote a book about her relationship with Ischa, called ''I.M.'' (1998).

Death and legacy

Ischa continued throughout his life searching for the love his parents never gave to him. When Ischa's mother became seriously ill in 1993, Ischa and his siblings were not allowed to say goodbye. Several weeks after her death Ischa's father Jaap died as well. On 14 February 1995, on his 52nd birthday, Ischa Meijer died of a heart attack while on his way to his coffeehouse to celebrate his birthday. He left behind a son, Jeroen, and a daughter, Jessica. Dutch news media gave much attention to his death. That same year he was given posthumous recognition for his work by receiving the , an important Dutch radio award. Besides the book ''I.M.'' another book was launched concerning the life of Meijer, this time by his sister Mirjam who wrote the book ''Mijn broer Ischa'' (My brother Ischa) (1997). Meijer also played a background role in another book by Connie Palmen, ''Geheel de Uwe'' (Entirely Yours). A documentary on Meijer's life was broadcast on Dutch television on 14 February 2005 called ''Ik hou van mij'' (I love myself), made by documentary maker Kees de Groot van Embden.

Filmography

External links

Biography Ischa Meijer

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meijer, Ischa 1943 births 1995 deaths Dutch investigative journalists Dutch opinion journalists Dutch columnists Dutch commentators Dutch comics writers Dutch political writers Dutch television talk show hosts Dutch television critics Dutch political journalists Dutch radio presenters Dutch autobiographers Dutch critics Dutch male short story writers Dutch relationships and sexuality writers Dutch expatriates in Suriname Social critics Cultural critics Male screenwriters Dutch male dramatists and playwrights Jewish Dutch writers Jewish dramatists and playwrights Jewish male actors Bergen-Belsen concentration camp survivors Writers from Amsterdam Male actors from Amsterdam 20th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Dutch male actors 20th-century Dutch short story writers 20th-century Dutch male writers 20th-century screenwriters