Biography

About Joseph Blitz.

Josep Blitz was a son of Hartog Blitz and Sientje Wijnberg. His father died 6 July 1939 and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery at Muiderberg. His mother passed away during the war in Amsterdam: on 2 January 1942. Her burial place was not registered. Joseph's father Hartog was born into a family with nine children of whom his uncle Levie and his aunt Fijtje also have been killed in the Shoah.

Joseph was unmarried. He worked as a clerk in a departmentstore and also was his profession registered as bookkeeper. According his registration card at the Jewish Council, Joseph was put on transport 2 October 1942 from Camp Westerbork to Auschwitz. This was the first transport which could leave the camp via a rail connection from inside the camp. And from this transport 160 persons, boys and men between 15 and 50 years of age, were forced to leave the train in Kosel, which was located about 80 km. west from Auschwitz where they were sent and had to work in the surrounding satellite camps. The remaining transport went on and arrived in Auschwitz.

Joseph was 35 years of age and he must have been one of those 160 persons who at Kosel were found suitable to do forced labor. He ended up in the workcamp Schöppenitz in Poland, where he lost his life eventually 31 October 1943, more than a year since he was deported Eastwards. His date of death was established as 31 October 1943.

City archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Joseph Blitz and Sientje Wijnberg; website Akevoth/Mokum/Burial Permits, re. Hartog Blitz;  List of Jew transports from Holland, re. the transport of 2 October 1942; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Joseph Blitz and further details about the work camp Schöppenitz, see https://www.joodsmonument.nl/nl/page/548175/werkkamp-schoppinitz.

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