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N.J. Holocaust survivor pens ‘Chocolate’ memoir

Maud Dahme with her grandson, Hogan Laskey, a student at Stockton University. (Photo by Maryjane Briant)

The memoir of Holocaust survivor Maud Dahme, a resident of Flemington, was recently published with support from Stockton University’s Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center.

Chocolate, The Taste of Freedom, tells Dahme’s story of being hidden by Christian families as a child in The Netherlands during World War II. The memoir was co-written and edited by Maryann McLoughlin of Stockton’s HRC, who records the stories of Holocaust survivors so that they can be passed down to future generations.

In July 1942, 6-year-old Dahme and her 4-year-old sister, Rita, were taken to the Spronk family in Oldebroek, and later to the fishing village Elburg, where they were hidden with the Westerink family for the remainder of the war.

The book chronicles Dahme’s wartime experiences as well as post-war events such as her reunion with her parents, immigration to the United States at age 14, marriage and serving as a Holocaust education advocate.

Dahme was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame as one of the state’s Unsung Heroes in 2014. She served as president of the New Jersey State Board of Education and participates in Stockton University’s faculty-led Study Tours, which guide students to Holocaust-related sites in Europe.

She spends much of her time speaking to students and adults about her experiences during World War II. She annually leads New Jersey teachers on a tour of Holocaust sites.

Dahme’s book is available from ComteQ Publishing, a company specializing in Holocaust memoirs and Holocaust education. The Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center’s mission is to promote greater awareness, sensitivity and understanding for Holocaust education. The center memorializes the victims of the Holocaust by paying tribute to survivors, liberators and eyewitnesses, and serves as a repository for Holocaust materials.


Originally published HERE.