Emanuel Zeldenrust, son of Gerard Zeldenrust from Den Bosch and Rosette Ossendrijver from Amsterdam, married 2 April 1942 in Amsterdam Rachel Metzelaar, daughter of Philip Metzelaar and Maria de Vries. Rachel, seamstress by trade, lived with her parents at Tilanusstraat 57 but after her wedding, she moved in with her husband Emanuel, who lived with his parents at Hofmeijerstraat 19 1st Floor in Amsterdam.
Emanuel Zeldenrust was leather worker by trade and was sent to concentration camp Vught on 9 April 1943 where he stayed in barrack 42B. On 21 May he was assigned to the “Aussenkommando” Moerdijk, where he stayed in barrack 3.
At the harbor in Moerdijk, at the place where now the company's warehouses are located from Van Ballegooy, was the location where in the Second World War an “Aussenkommando” (an outside command) of concentration camp Vught was established. Between 26 March 1943 and the end of February 1944 the old barges at the Moerdijkse Havenkade were used for this “Aussenkommando”. About 500 Jews lived in these ships' barracks. They arrived at the barracks from Lage-Zwaluwe Station on foot. The Jewish people were deployed for digging tank traps in the province of Zuid Holland and the western corner of the province of Noord Brabant. Political prisoners also came to the camp in Moerdijk.
On 3 July 1943 Emanuel was deported from there to Westerbork where he was locked in in barrack 98 and on 6 July he was put on transport to Sobibor. There, on arrival on 9 July 1943, Emanuel Zeldenrust was immediately killed.
At the same time, his wife Rachel Metzlaar stayed also in concentration camp Vught. She was transferred 4 July 1943 from Vught to Westerbork and locked in in barrack 65. On 6 July, Rachel, together with Emanuel, was put on transport to Sobibor too and on arrival there on 9 July 1943 she too has been killed immediately.
City archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Rachel Metzelaar and Emanuel Zeldenrust; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Rachel Metzelaar and Emanuel Zeldenrust and the website https://www.tracesofwar.nl/sights/28358/Buitenkamp-Moerdijk.htm.