Biography

About Michel Witmond.

Michel Witmond was a son of Aäron Witmond (1862-1937) and Mary Witmond (1861-1914), who both were born in London but have died in Amsterdam. Aäron and Mary were married 28 May 1884 in Amsterdam and their eleven children who were born in this wedlock were all born in Amsterdam, of whom Michel was the youngest. Of the elven children two have died before the war and three have survived the Shoah. Six children, among them Michel Witmond, were killed during the Holocaust.

Michel Witmond was a commercial traveller and unmarried. He resided regularly at Dennenweg 25 in Den Haag but up from 11 March 1927, he came living in with his sister Sara Withmond, who was married to Michel Beetz. This family lived at Van Oldebarneveldstraat 119 in Rotterdam but moved in 1929 to Tollenstraat 83a in that city. And Michel went with them too.

According a note on his registration card of the Jewish Council, he would not have responded to the summon to report for provison of additional work in Germany but have tried to go into hiding. However on 26 August 1942 he was arrested in Maastricht and transferred to Westerbork, from where he was put on transport to Auschwitz on 28 August.

This transport of 608 deportees, stopped at Kozel, were 170 men between 15 and 50 years were forced to leave the train. They have been employed as force laborers in the surrounding satellite camps of Auschwitz. Those who remained in the train were transported further to Auschwitz and killed there on arrival.

It is most likely that Michel Witmond belonged to the group of 170 men who were put to work as forced laborers. Michel Witmond was able to stay alive for eight months before he died. It is not known when and where exactly Michel has lost his life, but his place and date of death has been established as 30 April 1943 in Mid Europe.

Sources: City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Michel Witmond; website Jodentransporten from the Netherlands; website wikipedia/kozle and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Michel Witmond.

All rights reserved