The courage and compassion to do the right thing – it’s the prevailing theme that resonates with audiences when they hear San Mateo, California author, Marty Brounstein, talk about his book, Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust.
Since 1991, Brounstein has led the consulting firm The Practical Solutions Group, serving a wide variety of clients on issues of leadership and organizational effectiveness. Through this work, he has written eight books related to business management, from contributing author to sole author, including Communicating Effectively For Dummies and Coaching and Mentoring For Dummies.
But his ninth book is quite different, having thrust Brounstein into the interfaith business, as he tells the story of a Christian couple, Frans and Mien Wijnakker, who saved the lives of over two dozen Jews in the Netherlands during World War II and the Holocaust. This true story has all the elements of intrigue, complete with hiding rooms and Nazi soldiers showing up on doorsteps only to retreat when they find nothing of interest.
Turns out, this remarkable story has a meaningful personal connection to Brounstein, one he’s been revealing to standing-room-only audiences since 2011. This unexpected journey has taken Brounstein to ten different cities across the country, where he’s completed nearly 400 speaking events in churches, synagogues, community centers, social service organizations, private homes, Rotary Clubs, bookstores, schools, universities, libraries, book clubs, a Holocaust museum, a history museum, professional conferences, and workplaces. Now his story has caught the attention of a Hollywood production company, where efforts are underway to turn it into a feature film.
ALIVE Magazine: What compelled you to write the story of Frans and Mien Wijnakker in Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust ?
Marty Brounstein: Much has been written about Holocaust survivors, but other than Oskar Schindler, we don’t hear as much about the rescuers. In Yad Vashem, the museum in Jerusalem that serves as a remembrance of the Holocaust, there is a special section called the Righteous Among the Nations. It is dedicated to those non-Jews who carried out acts of courage amidst great risk and danger to save the lives of Jews during this horrific period. Like Oskar Schindler, Frans and Mien have received this heroic recognition as Righteous Among the Nations. They were Catholics who led a simple life in a small town in the Netherlands, but they took risks and displayed bravery to help others in dire need.
AM: This is a personal story for you. Tell us about it.
MB: I learned about the beginnings of this story in May 2009. My wife and I were traveling in the Netherlands where she’s originally from. She moved to the U.S. in the 8th grade. It had been 25 years since she’d been back to her homeland, and she had a curiosity to find where her beginnings were. We were in this big small town area in southeastern Netherlands and a lot of serendipity happened…
In this tourist information center in the town of Ravenstein, I was just watching when my wife asked the staff members about the home that once belonged to a Frans Wijnakker. They perked up because he’s a local hero and then gave us directions to this house located in the nearby town of Dieden, telling us that one of the Wijnakker sons still lives in this particular house. Before we left, one of them wrote down an e-mail address on how to find out about a self-published Dutch book, dealing with Frans and his experiences of rescue during the war.
A ten-minute drive later and we found this house. One of the sons was there, Frans Wijnakker, Jr., who owns the house today. It was so easy; he was just sitting in the front yard. He and his four siblings know my wife Leah Baars by her Dutch nickname Ineke. They hadn’t seen her in 25 years, but he recognized her and was so excited to see her. A few minutes later as the wife of Frans, Jr. was calling around to see if any of the Wijnakker siblings were home, the youngest, Irene, came over. She is the keeper of the self-published Dutch book about their parents, and she gave it to us. That’s the beginning of what will lead to the story; a story to which I have a very meaningful personal connection.
AM: So what happened next?
MB: Prior to this initial visit, I didn’t fully understand the big deal about Frans and Mien Wijnakker. When Frans, Jr. showed us a blown-up picture of his parents plaque from Yad Vashem, showing his parents were Righteous Among the Nations, I was blown away. I knew what that meant. You don’t get that honor for just showing up; something heroic happened here. 
As we left this accidental visit on a Monday afternoon with Frans. Jr., his wife, and his youngest sister, we were invited to return Wednesday evening. When we returned that Wednesday, all five Wijnakker siblings with spouses came for a happy reunion, excited to reconnect with my wife, Ineke Baars, as they best know her. Between the Monday and Wednesday visits, my wife read the Dutch book to me out loud. While it was like a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing, I got the gist of the story– something amazing had happened at this house in Dieden and elsewhere in the countryside area. Frans and Mien were saving people’s lives.
When we got home that summer, my wife wrote out the translation of the Dutch book into English for me and said, “See what you can do with this.” That was the beginning of a research project, which became quite an unexpected and fascinating journey. In early April 2010, in a follow-up interview with Nellie, the oldest of the Wijnakker children and the point person for us with the book, I asked if I could write the story about their parents and seek to get it published in the U.S. Her response, “I’d be honored.” Thus, I went forward to get a publisher and had the full support of the Wijnakker family.
AM: I’ve seen you in action, and there are audible gasps from the audience as you tell your story. Apart from being a dynamic speaker with a compelling story, what is it that resonates with audiences today?
MB: I think it has to do with heroism and its true meaning. A hero is someone who is willing to take action to help others in need, often with much risk involved. This word “hero” is misused often in American society, commonly being attached to celebrities in the sports and entertainment world. Hitting a home run to win a championship baseball game or playing a movie role at an Academy Award winning level are examples of great performance, but there is nothing heroic about them.
True heroes, like Frans and Mien Wijnakker, seldom receive glory during their time and sometimes may even be scorned for taking action that goes against the status quo or conventional wisdom. In the case of the Wijnakkers, they saved peoples’ lives who were facing certain death — heroism at its highest level. Their story and others like them need not be glorified but should be studied for the wonderful lessons of humanity and sincerity they teach.
AM: I think your audiences are inspired as well.
MB: My goal with the book and the presentations is to leave the reader or audience with important messages that they can apply in their lives today and in the future. For example, demonstrating ethics and doing the right thing; treating others with respect as consistent practice in your job as well as your personal life; and recognizing that care and empathy are qualities to nurture and develop.
AM: What’s this about your book being made into a feature film?
MB: I’ve been approached by Hollywood producer Christopher Broughton, CEO of Moxie Motion Pictures, who believes Two Among the Righteous Few has all the elements of a successful feature film. Our model is the Academy Award Winning picture 12 Years a Slave: a true story about a tough subject and not widely known. Like that story, mine represents a true and poignant part of history, one with lessons of the human spirit amidst evil and tragedy. We’ve got our Hollywood wish list of lead actors, and Christopher is working hard to build the financing for the movie.
AM: Please tell us your meaningful personal connection to the story.
MB: This is something I reveal at the end of my storytelling presentation, and you find out pretty quickly in the book, especially in Chapter 9, but I will give you a little insight about this. Among the over two dozen Jews the Wijnakkers saved was a young married couple similar in age to them. When the couple came to the Wijnakker home in the fall of 1943, the wife had a secret she could no longer keep. She was already pregnant, a near impossible situation to deal with under the brutal occupation of Nazi Germany. In brief, the Wijnakkers performed a miracle and got this baby born and kept her safe until liberation finally came. Now, as of eight years ago, I get to call that baby my wife, Leah “Ineke” Baars. She’s been my number one supporter for this four-year journey with this special story. For their selfless acts, I thank God for the courage and compassion of Frans and Mien Wijnakker. I am eternally grateful.
For more information or to schedule Marty Brounstein as a speaker, visit www.MartyABrounstein.com. Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust is also available at Amazon.com.
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