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About Us

Established in 2015 by dr. Dienke Hondius at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Mapping Hiding Places (MHP) is an international research project which documents the hiding places used by Jews in Europe to escape Nazi persecution and death during the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945. The project currently examines data collection surrounding the experiences of Dutch Jews and Jews who hid or sought safety as political refugees in the Netherlands from 1933 onwards. In time, the project aims to expand its research scope to include more hiding locations across Europe, and more stories of other persecuted groups such as the Roma and Sinti. 

Our Aims
The historical understanding of hiding experiences during the Holocaust is incomplete in research and commemoration practices. Information gathered on hiding has often been scattered among local initiatives and personal archives, and very little documentation and insight exists for the majority of hiding experiences. Thus, MHP seeks to build the first comprehensive database which contains all hiding stories that are feasible to uncover across Europe. In doing so, MHP’s research will reveal patterns, trends, complexities and diversities of experiences in hiding.
Our Team and Partners
The research conducted for the Mapping Hiding Places is a joint effort among many including the project’s staff, university students, local historians and international heritage researchers, Holocaust organizations and Dutch Stolpersteine memorial projects. MHP has developed an international research network in Canada, Germany, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands and the United States. Collaborations have yielded more hiding locations and researchers have sought MHP to assist with the development or completion of publications. 

Our Team

Dr. Dienke Hondius, PhD, Associate Professor of History, Project Lead
Jan Erik Dubbelman, MA, Sociologist, Researcher
Robbie Dubbelman, MA, Historian, Researcher 
Lauren Hawkes, MA, Historian, Researcher
Bert Brouwenstijn, Cartographer, Designer
Ivan Milovanov, BA, Educational Designer
Dr. Daan de Leeuw, PhD, Historian, Postdoc Researcher 

Our Affiliates

Dr. Bert Jan Flim, PhD, Historian, Researcher
Anna Lakmaker, MA, Historian, Researcher
Morgan Everman, Researcher
Sandra Rottenberg, Researcher
Spenser Carroll-Johnson, PhD Candidate, Historian, Researcher
Joraline van Engelen, MA, Historian, Researcher
Remco de Boer, MA, Cartographer
Fanni Hedi, PhD Candidate, Researcher
Marion van San, Professor of Criminology, Researcher
Lars de Vries, BA, Cartographer
Douwe Tijsma, Researcher
Dr. Herman van Rens & Annelies van Rens, Researchers