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 German forces tightened their grip on Dutch life, the sisters transformed a hidden house in the woods, known as "The High Nest," into a clandestine safehouse.
From this refuge, they sheltered Jews in hiding, resistance fighters, and artists banned by the regime, helping to keep alive a fragile network of hope, culture, and quiet defiance. Their work made The High Nest one of the most important Jewish safehouses in the country, even as danger grew on every side.
When the safehouse is betrayed, Janny and Lien are arrested and deported on one of the last trains to Auschwitz, travelling alongside Anne Frank and her family. In the camps that follow, they are pushed beyond endurance, relying on courage, loyalty, and their bond as sisters to survive.
Based on meticulous research and access to the Brilleslijper family’s own memoirs and photographs, this book offers an intimate portrait of resistance, persecution, and survival during the Holocaust, and honours two women whose moral bravery shone in one of history’s darkest periods.
- Non-fiction Holocaust and World War II history
- Focus on Dutch Resistance and Jewish hiding networks
- Includes the story’s connection to Anne Frank and her sister Margot
- Ideal for readers of historical biography and survivor accounts
