The Sisters of Auschwitz tells the powerful true story of Janny and Lien Brilleslijper, two Jewish sisters who risked everything to resist Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. As Germany’s grip tightened during the Second World War, they joined the Dutch Resistance and turned a secluded house in the woods, known as “The High Nest,” into a refuge for the persecuted.
From this hidden safehouse, the sisters sheltered Jews, resistance members, and artists targeted by Hitler’s regime. The High Nest became both a sanctuary and an underground hub, offering hope, culture, and solidarity while terror spread through Amsterdam, The Hague, and beyond.
When their refuge is betrayed, Janny and Lien are deported on the last train to Auschwitz, alongside Anne Frank and her family. In the camps, they face unimaginable brutality, relying on their courage, resilience, and unwavering bond as sisters to survive.
Based on meticulous research and rare access to the Brilleslijper family’s own memoirs and photographs, this moving account honours two unsung heroines of the Holocaust and the Dutch Resistance. It offers readers a deeply human portrait of moral bravery in the darkest of times.
- True World War II and Holocaust history
- Focus on Dutch Resistance and Jewish safehouses
- Connected to the story of Anne Frank
- Drawn from personal archives and testimony
