A Tribute to Aggie Van Der Laan, 1927- 2025

Carmit Doron

Today, Tuesday May 6, 2025, we are accompanying Aggie on her final journey on this earth.

Aggie Rosenberg was born in the last century, on December 2, 1927, between two world wars, in Debrecen, Hungary, a place and time that held the promise of a good life.

Her youth was cut short when the Germans invaded Hungary in 1944. Although the threat of war and expulsion had long been present, in the small towns and villages of Hungary it still seemed as if the storm would pass and the sun would shine again. That was not to be the case.

Aggie, her mother Lili and her brother Tamás were sent to the ghetto and, from there, to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, Tamás was murdered before their eyes and she and her mother were sent to forced labor.

Only recently has it become possible to gather fragments of information about what took place, about the Death March and about the period following liberation.

After some time, she and her mother returned to their home in Debrecen.

Her studies in Hotel Management led her to the United States where she hoped to be granted citizenship and live.

Her parents emigrated to Brazil where both had family. They integrated rapidly, resumed family life and, from time to time, Aggie lived with them.

In the mid-1960s, while visiting us on our kibbutz, she made the decision to investigate the possibility of living in Israel.

Her meeting with Joop (Jack) Van Der Laan, while studying Hebrew at the ulpan, and working together at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv, resulted in a marriage filled with love and friendship. Even though it was never said, the fact that Jack was the sole survivor of his family in Bergen-Belsen, created a deep bond between them.

Jack was strongly in favor of settling permanently in Israel because he saw it as the only place where there was no antisemitism.

Very soon after that, Aggie's parents joined them in Israel and lived nearby.

Aggie and Jack had no children and we had no grandparents. Aggie's parents filled that void and we became like the children Aggie and Jack never had.

Sadly, on Pesach 1991, Jack passed away unexpectedly and, only a few years later, so did Aggie's mother, Lili. Aggie's father had already died before Jack.

Although now alone, she remained independent and never stopped planning.She retired from her work at HIAS Israel and very soon after began studying Archaeology and Art at the Tel Aviv University.

Aggie also joined the ranks of ESRA, where she organized trips and lectures on art and education in general. Like our father Yehi'el, Aggie's cousin, there was no standing in her way once she had made the decision to engage a lecturer or guide.

These activities did not come to a halt during Covid when she organized the events online.

She was involved in events that took place at her retirement home in Ramat Gan where she had settled when there was no longer anyone to make her tea at home.She retired from her volunteer work only a few years ago, at the age of 94.

Aggie's journey on this earth was broadly cosmopolitan and together with Jack, and even after his passing, she traveled the world refusing, however, to visit Hungary. She was a polyglot, speaking Hungarian, German, English, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, French, and even a little Hebrew, and exuded the air of a woman of the world.

Now, 80 years after the Allied victory over the Nazis and the liberation of the camps, here, in Israel, ends the journey of the much-loved woman who was our aunt.

May her memory be a blessing.

From her cousin Lis Drew-Wynberg

I read recently, on the ESRA Facebook page, of the passing of long time ESRA volunteer Aggie van der Laan.

Aggie was married to Joop van der Laan, my first cousin once removed. I first met Aggie at a van der Laan family reunion in Assen in 1990, although my parents had visited Joop and Aggie in Israel several times prior to that time. Following Joop's death, Aggie travelled to Australia a couple of times and we enjoyed her company enormously. In recent years I have been in email contact. Aggie always replied promptly so I was concerned when there was no response to an email some weeks ago. Another cousin alerted me to the Facebook page and, when I searched, I was able to find the date of her funeral Tuesday 6 May at Kiryat Shaul cemetery.

She was a wonderful woman and lived an extraordinary life. Any other information you may have would also be very welcome. Needless to say, I am the family genealogist!

Lis Drew-Wynberg

Victoria Point, Australia

Footnote: I would like to thank Lis for her help in the important biographical facts she sent me which I have added to the eulogy, and for the wonderful photos she sent of Aggie.

Merle

From R.M. Kiel

When my late husband Niel gave his well-received talk in Tel Aviv, about ten women offered their homes for further talks, but no one accepted that every date was all right or that every place was the right distance.

Aggie sent Niel's details to the Queen Julianna Retirement Home in Herzliya. Niel was contacted, and invited to repeat the talk given in Tel Aviv. I drove Niel to the Home three times. Each time we were there for one-and-a-half hours. The first time, twenty people, casually dressed, roamed the room choosing from the kosher refreshments along the table. Large windows stretching to the ground made up one side of the room.

The second time we went there were more people, including some younger people. Niel spoke for 45 minutes, followed by ten minutes for eats and drinks. Then a half-hour for questions.

On the final occasion, a man living at the Home told Niel that he read only the Bible. "Fine," said Niel. "And are you Daniel or Nathaniel?" he asked. "Neither," said Niel. "I hope that's OK with you." "Yes it is," said the man, and they shook hands. Then we left.

From Lucille Laketer

It was with a heavy heart that I learnt that my dear friend, Aggie van der Laan, had passed away early in May. She was connected with ESRA for many years and will be sorely missed.

When the Tel Aviv branch organized monthly lectures, Aggie arranged for some of them to be held in the spacious lecture hall of the residence where she lived in Ramat Gan.

But her major contribution to ESRA was when she connected with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art to arrange the TAMA events. She used to select a varied and interesting list of lectures which, after a short recess, were followed by a tour through the Museum to view new exhibits.

These events also involved the hard work of sorting out and labeling of the membership cards handed out at the start of each season. With the large number of members registering for these events, the work became too much for one person and I helped her for the Monday series. There was such a demand that Aggie added a Thursday series.

When Aggie first became ill, I undertook to stand in for her in order that all her hard work would not come undone.

I sincerely hope this program continues for some time to come – for the enjoyment of ESRA members and friends and as a testimony to all the hard work Aggie did for ESRA.

From Merry (Marianne) Lane

My friend Aggie was a wonderful person.

We met in an archeology class and had an immediate bond. I think it was because we were both Hungarians.

We also discovered that we were both active in ESRA and we helped start the Tel Aviv chapter with Marilyn Rosen (of blessed memory) our chairperson. When Marilyn stopped going to executive board meetings, Aggie would drive us and we both enjoyed the company on our travels to the meetings

Aggie started the lectures at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and when she asked for my help, I happily agreed and did it for many years before both of us couldn't continue because of ill health. Aggie also arranged the TA month lecture series at Beit Ariella, which were always well attended.

Aggie was a good friend and an amazing person. We often would go out for lunch together and it was a delightful day.

I will truly miss her and our great conversations.

May her name be a blessing.