Dientje Kalisky Adkins, daughter of Phillip and Evaline Hamel Krant, was born in 1938 in Bussum, Netherlands. She recalls fond memories of life before World War II in the small village not far from Amsterdam, where she and her parents lived over a store run by her father and his brother. She offers several happy tales about extended family members, including her maternal grandparents who lived in nearby Hilversum. Dientje remembers the German occupation of her hometown and tells the story of being sent into hiding by her parents when she was four years old. She describes emotionally and physically traumatic experiences while under the care of a harsh and abusive Catholic nun. By the time the war ended and her parents returned to claim her, Dientje was eight years old and had become accustomed to a new name and Catholic doctrine. The interviewee discusses the negative effects of the war on her psyche and the difficulties of returning to life in Bussum with her parents. The family grew to include a brother and an adopted sister. The Krants attended holiday services and Passover seders at the only synagogue in town. While her family was Orthodox, Dientje’s parents did not keep kosher, nor did they observe the Sabbath. After college, Dientje worked on an ocean liner caring for children in the nursery. She met her husband Leonard Kalisky while vacationing in Germany, where the Kingstree, South Carolina, native was serving on an American army base. They married in 1963 and raised three children in Charleston, South Carolina. The couple divorced after 25 years of marriage. Dientje discusses her emotional status and her outlook on life as a result of her childhood experiences. Note: the transcript contains additions and corrections made by Dientje during proofing.
This 1939 photograph was taken in front of the Krant family's home at 24 Hoogeweg, Bussum. Pictured, from left to right: Phillip Krant, Dientje's father; Dientje Krant; Evaline Krant-Hamel, Dientje's mother.
This 1939 photograph was taken inside the Krant family's home at 24 Hoogeweg, Bussum. Dientje and her parents lived over her paternal grandfather's (Nathan Krant's) store. Pictured, from left to right: Dientje Krant; Nathan Krant; Gabriel De Leeuw, Dientje's cousin.
This 1939 photograph was taken in front of the Krant family's home at 24 Hoogeweg, Bussum. Pictured, from left to right: Phillip Krant, Dientje's father; Dientje Krant; Evaline Krant-Hamel, Dientje's mother.
This May 5, 1946, photograph shows children from the neighborhood in Bussum where Dientje and her family lived. The event commemorated the first anniversary of liberation. Dientje is sitting on the beam at the far right.
This 1945 photograph, taken in Bussum shortly after the end of World War II, shows Roosje Krant, Dientje's adopted sister (left), and Dientje Krant (right).
This 1967 photograph shows Dientje with her grandmother, mother, and son, at her parents' house in Bussum, Holland. Pictured, from left: Dientje; Fennie Hamel, Dientje's grandmother; Karol Charles Kalisky, Dientje's son; Evaline Krant-Hamel, Dientje's mother.
This 1947 photograph was taken at Dientje Krant's house on Wisent Street in Bussum. Pictured, front row from left: Tiny Krant, Dientje's cousin; Jacob Krant, Dientje's brother. Middle row, from left: Denny DeLeeuw, Dientje's cousin; Gabriel DeLeeuw, Dientje's cousin; Sonja Gassan, Dientje's friend; unidentified boy; Dientje Krant. Back row, from left: Kitty DeLeeuw, Dientje's cousin; Anita Gassan, Sonja's sister.
