Michel Velleman (5 January 1895 – 2 July 1943),[1] known by his stage name Professor Ben Ali Libi, was a Jewish magician who was murdered in the Sobibor extermination camp during World War II.[2] Dutch poet Willem Wilmink wrote a poem about his being murdered by the Nazis.[3]
Michel Velleman | |
|---|---|
) Professor Ben Ali Libi during a show at the Old Men's and Women's almshouse in Amsterdam in 1933 | |
| Born | Michel Velleman 5 January 1895 |
| Died | 2 July 1943 (aged 48) |
| Occupation | Magician |
Biography
He was born in Groningen in the Netherlands and later moved to Amsterdam.[2]
Velleman was a well-known magician, performing for notables such as the Dutch prince consort and the exiled German Emperor Wilhelm II.[4][5][6] He wrote a booklet of simple magic tricks that was published in 1925.[7][8]
His precise politics are not known, but he supported workers' rights, including giving free magic performances to striking workers during the 1920s.[9] Besides paid work in variety shows, he often performed for charity, including at almshouses.[8]
During World War II, Velleman worked for the Cultural Department of the "Jewish Council," the Nazi administrative structure imposed on Jewish communities in occupied territory.[4]
Velleman and his wife Anna (née Speijer) were living in Amsterdam when they were abducted during a razzia on June 2, 1943.[1][9][4][10] His family was sent through the Westerbork transit camp before arriving at the Sobibor extermination camp.[11] His daughter Aaltje, who had Down syndrome, was murdered at Sobibor in May 1943.[9][12] Velleman and Anna both died in 1943 at Sobibor.[10][13] His son Jacques survived the war.[9]
In 2017, a memorial to Velleman was established in his birth town of Groningen.[14][4]
Wilmink's Poem
Wilmink's poem, titled "Ben Ali Libi," was written sometime after the war, as it concerns Wilmink's experience in reading Velleman's name on a list of those murdered in camps in a book by Dutch resistance member Henk van Gelderen.[3][15][9]
The penultimate verse of the poem reads in English translation:
And always when there’s a shouter to see
with an alternative for democracy
I think: your paradise, how much space is there
for Ben Ali Libi, the magician?[15]
The poem became more well-known after Dutch actor Joost Prinsen recited it on television.[4][16] Herman van Veen set the poem to music in 2009.[4]
In 2015, Velleman was the subject of a Dutch documentary film titled Ben Ali Libi, Magician, directed by Dirk Jan Roeleven.[4][17] The film was released in the Netherlands and shown in international film festivals.[18][11][19]
References
- ^ a b Michel Velleman in Joods Historisch Museum monument to victims of the Shoah
- ^ a b "Michel Velleman". Oorlogsgravenstichting (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ a b Wilmink, Willem. "Ben Ali Libi". Poezie-Leestafel (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ben Ali Libi – In Sobibor vermoordde goochelaar". Historiek (in Dutch). 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ Jansen, Ronald Wilfred. Anne Frank Silent Witnesses Reminders of a Jewish Girl's Life. Berlin. no page number given, see chapter titled "Amsterdam, " footnote 57. ISBN 978-3-7375-5664-4. OCLC 916058034.
- ^ Hummel, Ben. Ben Ali Libi : handelaar in illusies. Hamond, Fons van. [Amsterdam]. ISBN 978-94-021-7073-3. OCLC 1019707510.
- ^ Een serie goocheltoeren en kunstjes met eenvoudige hulpmiddelen, by Professor Ben-Ali-Libi (Pseudonym of Michel Velleman, Amusementsbureau Ben-Ali-Libi, 1925
- ^ a b "About Michel Velleman". Joods Monument. April 7, 2016. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ a b c d e "Boek over Ben Ali Libi, de goochelaar van Willem Wilmink". Regio (in Dutch). January 23, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ a b "Anna Velleman-Speijer". Joods Monument (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ a b "Ben Ali Libi, Magician". Brown Paper Tickets. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Aaltje Velleman". Joods Monument (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ Wallach, Kurt (2020-03-04). Man's Inhumanity To Man. Lulu.com. p. 606. ISBN 978-1-6781-0462-7.
The non-Polish victims [of the Sobibor uprising] included ... magician Michel Velleman. [Note: no other source indicates that Velleman died in October 1943, when the Sobibor uprising occurred.]
- ^ Brouwer, Marijke (May 4, 2017). "Overleden joodse artiest krijgt monument". Dagblaad van het Noorden (in Dutch). Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ a b van Cappelle, Jan (2016-03-20). "Ben Ali Libi". The Dutch Luthier. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Ben Ali Libi de goochelaar voorgedragen door Joost Prinsen". YouTube (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Ben Ali Libi". Zeppers. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Washington Jewish Film Festival | Ben Ali Libi". Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Ben Ali Libi [Netherlands Film Festival Archive]". Nederlands Film Festival. 2015. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
External links
Media related to Michel Velleman at Wikimedia Commons- The poem in Dutch (a.o.)
- Poem being read aloud by Joost Prinsen
- Animated version of the poem
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