Abraham Ehrenreich was a son of Ruben Ehrenreich and Mietje David Jacobs. His father, Ruben Ehrenreich from Langenschwarz in Hessen (Germany) married 30 April 1863 in Wierden (province of Overijssel), Mietje David Jacobs from Groningen. In Wierden their son Abraham was born in 1869.
22 November 1894 Abraham married in Doesburg Sophia Katz, a daughter of Benjamin Katz and Sijbilla Philipson. The couple had five children, namely Jacob, Benjamin, Sijbilla, Lena and David. Their youngest son David died as child in 1909, 4 years old.
After his wedding, Abraham Ehrenreich and his wife Sophia Katz resided still for some years at Wierden, where their sons Jacob (1896) and Benjamin (1897) were born. After the birth of Benjamin, Abraham and his family moved in 1897 to Deventer and lived at Beestenmarkt 41. There their other three children were born. At that time he was a butcher, but started later a trade in rags and bones and he was the founder of the Handel in Overijsselse Zakken en Metaalwaren (Trading Overijsel Bags and Metals). Abraham moved still a few times to another address with his family, among others to Bergkerkplein 3 but his last known address was Smedenstraat 203 in Deventer, where he resided with his unmarried daughter Lena after the death of his wife. His spouse Sophia Katz passed away already 28 March 1932.
His son Jacob married a non-Jewish woman in 1924, Dina Roelofs. He was shot by the Germand at the Oxerhof Estate at Diepenveen 6 April 1945. His wife and child surived the war.
His son Benjamin was married in Rotterdam 20 September 1922 to Rozetta Emalia van Dijk, a daughter of Manus van Dijk and Mientjen Kats. They had two children, lived at Nijmegen but since April 1931 at Boezemlaan 19b in Rotterdam. It is unknown when the family was registered in Camp Westerbork. Known is however that 13 November 1942 all were still in Westerbork and that Benjamin and Rozetta stayed in barak 64. Both the children were even in Westerbork 31 December 1942, with a note on the registration cards of the Jewish Council: “woonend in Ziekenhuis” (living in hospital). Eventually, Benjamin and Rozetta were deported without their children 9 February to Auschwitz and upon arrival 12 February 1943 immediately killed. The children Abraham and Mientje were deported 2 March with the very first transport to Sobibor and also upon arrival immediately killed 5 March 1943.
His daughter Sijbilla married 26 March 1941 in Amsterdam Abraham Frank, a son of Jacob Frank and Frederika Cohen. After her wedding, she lived for some weeks with her husband at Verlengde Rijnkade 119 in Arnhem but since 18 April she and her husband lived in with her mother-in-law, the widow Frederika Frank-Cohen at Retiefstraat 96 I in Amsterdam. 28 June 1941 they had their own home at Breedeweg 11 I in Amsterdam where they have lived for two years. Since 1942, Abraham Frank had a depot for the Joodsche Weekblad of the N.V. Joachimsthal and he was exempted for deportation because of his function (“gesperrt”). 26 May 1943 Abraham and his wife were registered in Camp Westerbork and stayed in barak 58. 1 June they were deported to Sobibor and upon arrival there immediately killed 4 June 1943.
His daughter Lena was unmarried and lived with her father at Smedenstraat 203 in Deventer since her mother died in 1932. She was a seamstress and household aid and she was registered in Camp Westerbork 15 January 1943. She was deported to Auschwitz 29 January and upon arrival there immediately killed 1 February 1943.
City archive of Deventer, the Peoples Registry; website www.wiewaswie.nl; City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Abraham Frank and Sijbilla Ehrenreich; City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Benjamin Ehrenreich and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, the various registration cards of the Ehrenreich families.