About Resistance During WWII: Carla Peperzak and the Women Who Defied Expectations
Carla Peperzak was born in Amsterdam in 1923 to a Jewish family. In 1940, the year Carla graduated from high school, Germany invaded the Netherlands. By 1941 the Nazis forced Dutch Jews to register with the state, and they were issued identification papers marked with a "J."
At the age of 18, Carla joined the Dutch resistance. She continued to secure hiding places for Jews, including family members, disguised herself as a German nurse, published an underground newspaper, and created counterfeit identification papers and ration cards. While Carla and her immediate family survived the Holocaust, 18 members of her family did not. In the decades after the war, Carla traveled around the world with her husband, who worked for the United Nations. In 2004 she moved to Spokane, Washington and has been actively engaged as a Holocaust educator. Branda Anderson of the Holocaust Center for Humanity in Seattle shares the story of Carla Peperzak's incredible bravery.
Branda Anderson is the teaching and learning specialist for the Holocaust Center for Humanity. A high school history teacher for 19 years, she holds master's degrees in teaching and in Holocaust and genocide studies. She's a USHMM Teacher Fellow and Mentor, Alfred Lerner Teaching Fellow, and Defiant Requiem Teacher Ambassador. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Holocaust and genocide studies from Gratz College.