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Henri Max Corwin (1903 in
Oldenzaal Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border. It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the ...
,
Overijssel Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...
– January 1962) was a Dutch businessman,
philatelist Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possible ...
and
humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...
. He became famous both for his efforts to shield Jewish victims of Nazi persecution during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and later for his efforts to document instruments of propaganda utilized during national conflict.


Biography

Henri Max Cohen was born in 1903, the youngest of four children, in the eastern Netherlands village of
Oldenzaal Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border. It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the ...
, where his family had lived since at least 1770. After completing secondary schooling Cohen entered the study of Law at
Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...
, but soon had to return to Oldenzaal to run the family business when his father suffered health problems. As a youth Cohen had two abiding pastimes,
stamp collecting Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study (or combined study and collection) of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth ...
and the theater. He wrote plays, directed plays and acted in plays. When the persecution of Jewish people in Germany became apparent in the years before the outbreak of World War II, he began escorting people from that nation to safe havens in the Netherlands. He was often assisted in these trips by his fiancée Geraldine. Soon after the start of the war, his nation was invaded and occupied by German troops. At that time, he became active in providing hiding places for people who would otherwise be arrested and deported under the German antisemitism policies. For this effort, he was arrested on 16 October 1943 by two Dutch members of the
Sicherheitsdienst ' (, "Security Service"), full title ' ("Security Service of the ''Reichsführer-SS''"), or SD, was the intelligence agency of the Schutzstaffel, SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence ...
, on the charge of providing "safe houses". He was sentenced to imprisonment at
Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...
, but while being transported there, he managed to jump from the train and escape. He remained in hiding until the end of the war, after which he returned to Oldenzaal and resumed managing his family's affairs. During the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
fears of the 1950s, he noted a renewed
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
in Europe. He saw many of the Dutch Jews moving to safe areas (usually
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
), and considered moving his family away also. In the end, he decided to remain in the Netherlands, but changed his name (and thus the family's name) from ''Cohen'' to ''Corwin'', hoping that this would buy them a margin of safety if anti-Jewish persecution did resume. Corwin died in January 1962 at the age of 58. A street in Oldenzaal was named in his honor.


Humanitarian efforts

In the 1930s when the situation for the Jews in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
became unbearable, he acted as a
courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...
for the Jewish Refugee Committee in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, taking refugees or their belongings across the Dutch border. For this he was granted membership in the U.N.A.P.E.F. (Union Nationale des Passeurs & Filieristes Benevoles). A letter from
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
confirms these activities (a copy is shown on th
site
. When in 1940 the Germans occupied the Netherlands and began arresting Jewish citizens, Cohen organized (in cooperation with the Resistance) hiding places for family and friends. This illegal activity led to his arrest by the SD (the Sicherheits Dienst) in 1943. On the way to prison he managed to escape and went into hiding himself until the end of the war. In the early fifties, when Russian politics threatened European peace, many Dutch Jews fled the country. Mr. Cohen thought best to protect his family by changing his name in Corwin, a name several of his family living in the States already had adopted.


Genealogy efforts

In his later years Corwin became an enthusiastic historian and genealogist. He tracked down family trees of Jewish families and gave lectures on the ups and downs of the Jewish population in the
Twente Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...
region. The results of this research can be found in the Central Institute for Genealogy in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, in the Rosentaliana Library and the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam, in periodicals, newspapers and the Yearbook Twente 1962. In 1960 he received the Order of Oranje Nassau. Corwin died of
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
at the age of 58 in January 1962. In Oldenzaal a street is named after him. Detailed information with regard to the collection of H.M. Corwin and his interesting life, including his war diary, photo albums, press articles and more can be found on the personal site, created by his daughters in 2008. A book about his life will appear in 2009.


Collection of documents

Corwin assembled a unique collection of documents regarding the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. Most of the collected items can be categorized under the title of "
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
". This war collection contains 24 albums on various aspects of the period from approximately 1900 until 1945, including the rise of nationalism, the 1936 Olympic Games, Nazi occupation of various countries,
anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
measures and the massacre of the
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
. The collection was exhibited in 1959/1964 in the Netherlands and in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
at the
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...
and at the
Kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...
Lohamei Hagethaot.''Philatelic exhibition on the European catastrophe: from the collection of Mr. H. Corwin'', Israel, Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 1960.


The Color of Propaganda

File:PropagandaStudy 1.jpg, propaganda_1 File:PropagandaStady 2.jpg, propaganda_2 File:PropagandaStady 3.jpg, propaganda_3 File:PropagandaStudy 4.jpg, propaganda_4 File:PropagandaStudy 5.jpg, propaganda_5 File:PropagandaStudy 6.jpg, propaganda_6


References


STICHTING CORWIN COLLECTION
* Philatelic exhibition on the European catastrophe : from the collection of H. Corwin, Israel, Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 1960. * (Jaarboek Twente, vol. (1962) nr. 28 mrt, p. 43–53), Author: H.M. Corwin * , (1777–1778), Author: H.M. Corwin * (1960), Author: H.M. Corwin *
vol. 2(1961), nr.7, p. 8–9
Oldenzaal, Author: H.M. Corwin *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corwin, Henri 1903 births 1963 deaths People from Oldenzaal Dutch Jews 20th-century Dutch businesspeople Dutch philanthropists Dutch philatelists 20th-century philanthropists