Three "stumbling stone" memorials for Holocaust victims stolen in Dordrecht

Three “stumbling stone” memorials were stolen in Dordrecht. The stones bore the names of Jewish residents who were deported and murdered in the Second World War. A local noticed they were missing on Wednesday, RTV Dordrecht reported.

The three stolen stumbling stones - raised cobblestones installed in front of the home where the Holocaust victims lived - bore the names of Mozes Cohen de Heer and his daughters, Rosalie and Grietje. The Stolpersteine Dordrecht Foundation placed the stones in 2021. It reported their theft to the police.

Drie struikelstenen uit stoep gewrikt: ‘Dit is nog nooit gebeurd’https://t.co/dhBOlkGOpt pic.twitter.com/PddUm77A6d

— RTV Dordrecht (@rtvdordrecht) May 8, 2024

“Since we started our foundation in 2004, we have laid 201 stumbling stones in Dordrecht, but they have never been removed. I did not expect this,” Kees Welstevrede of the foundation told WNL program Goedemorgen Nederland. “I find it shocking.”

The foundation will replace the stones with new ones. A local offered to pay for the new ones.

Dordrecht mayor Wouter Kolff called the theft “extremely sad” in a post on X. “These stumbling stones are a reminder of people who were deported and killed because of who they were. Whoever did this (deliberately) is very welcome to come to the city office to explain why.”

Neighbors were also shocked. “We laid flowers there on May 4,” one said to the local broadcaster. “It’s brutal.”