Before World War II, Zuidlaren was home to a small but close-knit Jewish community. Five families lived in the village, including the Van Dam family. Although the synagogue in the village had closed its doors in 1928, the Jewish presence remained visible in village life.

The Van Dam family was actively involved in the Zuidlaren community. Izaak and Eva van Dam, along with their three children, as well as Jacob and Anna van Dam, were deeply engaged in social and civic life. Izaak van Dam ran a dry goods store, served on the board of the Zuidlaren Trade Association, and was a member of the municipal council. Jacob van Dam was the principal of the public elementary school in Schuilingsoord.

With the rise of National Socialism in Germany, their lives gradually changed. The Van Dam family, like other Jewish families, was aware of the looming danger but could not find a safe hiding place. In 1942, they were arrested and deported. During the deportation to Auschwitz, 10-year-old Bernard van Dam managed to throw a note from the train in Glimmen. It was addressed to his friends Jan and Roelie Jansen. The text of this note is inscribed on a commemorative plaque on the wall of the former synagogue in Zuidlaren:

"Dear Jan and Roelie, We are on the train and going very far away. Goodbye, boys. Greetings from Dad & Mom X Boys Bernard."

Bernard van Dam died at the age of 10 in Auschwitz. His name, along with those of 14 other Jewish citizens from Zuidlaren who perished in concentration camps during World War II, is engraved on the memorial monument. Bernard's parents, Izaak and Eva van Dam, died in 1942 at the age of 49 in Auschwitz. His brother Siemon, aged 20, also lost his life there, while 23-year-old Martijn died on February 7, 1945, in Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Poland. Jakob (57) and Anna (43) van Dam also did not survive Auschwitz and died there in 1942.

The Jewish residents of Zuidlaren are also commemorated with eighteen Stolpersteine—memorial stones embedded in the pavement in front of their former homes or workplaces. These stones remind passersby of the lives and deaths of fellow villagers who were murdered because of their ethnicity.