Norbert Abrahamssohn was the son of Joel and Pauline Abrahamssohn. He had three siblings.
Norbert was studying agriculture in the Netherlands before the outbreak of the war. Members of his family battled in vain to get him safely to Australia. In 1939 he received a permit to emigrate. The Jewish Refugee Committee in Amsterdam helped with his arrangements. He was booked to leave from Genoa via Lloyd Triestino line on September 5, 1939. On 7th August, 1939 he wrote that he awaited his ticket to come from Paris. He wrote in a letter to his family (translated into English): "Hopefully, I will still be able to travel, but I am very pessimistic and I believe that before long we will be enmeshed in a large war.
The atmosphere here is grim, quite terrible fear, everybody reckons on the worst. The crop in the field has to be brought in hurriedly, as yesterday they already announced preparations for mobilisation. One doesn't know whether Holland can stay neutral, that is, whether it will be attacked from one or the other side. One must await developments . . .
In case I am unable to depart before the outbreak of war, and it is sure to come, then I shall write immediately."
Norbert was unable to reach the ship and stayed in Holland.
He wrote on 29th September: "Here in Holland almost everybody is anti-German and they very much fear an invasion from the German side." He went on to say: "Here in Holland people still go about their normal way of life. Food and other things are still available as always. Everything here is done according to the old ways. Often I am peacefully working in the fields and I ask myself if it is at all true that we live in a time of war. It is really unbelievable. The horses pull the ploughs over the fields and everything is in harmony... "
On 6th October 1939 he received news that German Jews would not be accepted in to Australia and implored his family to still try to get him out here.
He wrote again on 2.1.1940 and was still in a "werkdorp" and again asked what could be done to come to Australia. Australia was not taking in refugees at this time and had written in December 1939 to cancel his authority for admission. On 9.4.1940 his last letter was written and he expressed hope to get into Canada.
The archive at Yad Vashem has records on him. There is a photo of Norbert milking a cow on a page of a testimony.
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