Isaac Brandon, a diamond worker by trade, was a son of Salomon Brandon and Rebecca Koe. 14 December 1911 he married in Borgerhout (Antwerp) Annetje de Leeuwe, a daughter of Isaac de Leeuwe and Antje Blik. The couple had four children, namely Rebecca in 1915, Alida in 1916, Salomon in 1918 and Emanuel in 1920. Of those children, only Emanuel survived the war; the other three children were killed in the Shoah.
After their marriage, Isaac and Annetje lived for quite some time at Borgerhout but their children however, were all born in Amsterdam. Since November 1937, their address in Amsterdam was Blasiusstraat 40 II and in July 1939 they moved to Ruyschstraat 113 II.
During the “Grossaktion”, (raid) from Sunday 20 June 1943, secretly set up by the Germans, Isaac and Annetje were fetched and deported to Camp Westerbork (“marschfertig gemacht”, where Isaac had to stay in barack 93 and Annetje in barack 58. However, 17 July 1943 they were released as so called “Diamond Jews (Diamant-Juden) from Camp Westerbork, returned to Amsterdam and ended up at the address Christiaan de Wetstraat 60 ground floor. (Because the Germans had a great need for diamond, rough, cut and polished, they realised that they were better off to keep these Jews alive for the time being; these highly qualified skilled workers from the diamond industry were not shortly replacable. (Ondergang volume II, 223-227))
According data at his registration card from the Jewish Council, Isaac Brandon has been interned in Westerbork again 18 May 1944 and stayed then in barack 65. The next day, 19 May, he was put on transport to Bergen Belsen, together with his wife Annetje de Leeuwe. She has been interned again at Westerbork already 19 November 1943 where she stayed at barack 68.
Developments of the war and other causes, German plans to set up diamond cutting and polishing installations at Vught and Bergen Belsen failed. And also Isaac Brandon, after “having lived in a rather privileged position” has been put on transport from Bergen Belsen to Sachsenhausen 4 December 1944, where he ended up in the “Extern Kommando Oranienburg”. There he lost his life 31 January 1945. Annetje de Leeuwe was sent several weeks later, 19 December 1944 from Bergen Belsen to the womens concentration camp Ravensbrück. There she lost her life 24 April 1945.
City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Isaac Brandon and Annetje de Leeuwe; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Isaac Brandon and Annetje de Leeuwe and Dr. J.Presser “Ondergang” volume I page 376 and further and volume II pages 223-227.