A hidden child’s story of resilience

Born in Amsterdam in August 1942 during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Jack Trompetter was just 3 1/2 months old when he was hidden by a Christian family in the small Dutch village of Heino. His parents were concealed in separate locations by another family involved in the resistance, a separation that lasted nearly three years.

Trompetter, a Holocaust survivor, shared his story during a presentation titled “A Hidden Child’s Story of Resilience,” hosted by the Social Action Committee of Congregation Beth Yam in collaboration with the Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate and the Hilton Head MLK Committee for Justice. He addressed a full sanctuary at Congregation Beth Yam on December 7.

“Imagine if today we had a leader that didn’t like the cradle you were born in and decided you were wrong and had to go into hiding,” said Trompetter during his presentation, reflecting the hardships families had to endure during these difficult times. Further complicating matters, and to survive, “families could not go into hiding together. These are the things that people had to think about, talk about,” he explained.

After the liberation, Trompetter’s father found him after an exhaustive search. Given the fact Jack was an infant when separated from his family, reunification with his parents after the war was a difficult process. Aided by a lock of his hair and a swatch of his infant clothing, Trompetter shared that “it took a while and again I don’t know how long. But my parents were able to convince the family that the right thing to do would be to give me back to my biological parents.” Although there was a request for Trompetter to be baptized prior to his return (a request that was declined) the family proceeded to reunite Jack with his parents.

Following the war, Trompetter and his family moved to the United States in 1949, where they made their home in New York. After High School, Trompetter worked as a commercial artist and later earned his M.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art.” He continues to share his family’s Holocaust story through Facing History and Ourselves, an educational organization that helps students “connect lessons from history to moral choices and civic responsibility.”

In his closing remarks, Trompetter recounted the emotions his family experienced.

“Imagine that you are a survivor, already dealing with the grief of knowing you could not help your parent and your family.” Then while having to come to terms with these tragic losses and experiences, “you have the blessings of (finding and reuniting) with a surviving child.”

When asked what advice and good counsel he could give to people today dealing with a divisive world, he responded, “Be Kind…be kind…be kind.”

Scott Selkowitz is a Writer, Communications Chair and Board Member of Congregation Beth Yam, Hilton Head Island, communications@bethyam.org