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'Weile meer Sinti & Roma ham' (Because we are Sinti and Roma) 'So that they will never be forgotten'

Fourteen May 1944: a black day for the Roma and Sinti who lived in the hofstad. During the raids that day 81 of them were arrested, another four the next day. All 85 were transported to Westerbork. Three days later they were transported to Auschwitz, where most of them died in the gas chambers.
Already in 1990, on the initiative of a Roma association, a bronze plaque had been made in memory of the Roma victims of the Nazi regime. The plaque was unveiled on 4 May of that year and was located in the entrance gate to the courtyard at Bilderdijkstraat. The Berger family lived there, one of the eighteen deported families. A few years later, the courtyard was largely demolished and the plaque became invisible and inaccessible. For some years, the plaque hung on the façade of the former public library near the courtyard. Neighbours and other people involved, however, felt that this was not a permanent solution and set up a committee for a better Roma memorial.
That monument can now be found on the little square on the Vondelstraat opposite the former almshouse. It was finally unveiled on 27 March 2006 by then mayor Deetman together with two surviving relatives. The monument consists of a cube with the earlier plaque on the front. The maker of this was an Amsterdam artist whose name is not known. The design of the rest of the monument comes from Jan Brouwer of the architectural firm of the same name in The Hague. New texts have been added to the text of the earlier plaque, as well as the names of all 85 deportees.
At the height of the former courtyard, a text board has been added with a reference to the monument across the street.