No Greater Love

friday, december 10, 2021

Dirk Van Leenen was born in 1940 just after the war had begun in The Netherlands. He is married to Cynthia June Van Leenen. Together they have seven children and seventeen grandchildren They live in Arizona. Dirk has spent his life working with flowers. He has several degrees in Horticulture and floral design. His interest in English Literature began when he was still living in Holland.

At the University of Leiden, he studied English and he worked a number of years in Holland as an English teacher. For years, he used to tell stories about his experiences during the Second World War in Holland. His children and grandchildren always urged him to write a book about those difficult times. In this video seminar, Dirk provides his testimony of survival, and how Dirk’s father, Cornelius, is credited with saving thousands of Jews as he showed resistance on a bicycle. Additionally, Dirk was on the last train to Bergen-Belsen and was there for 1 day before liberation.