Biography

About Salomon Blitz and his wife Anna van Praag.

Salomon Blitz was a son of Marcus Blitz and Grietje Salomon Mol. He was born on 3 April 1970 in Amsterdam and lived then with his parents and siblings in the Batavierstraat 50 in the old city centre of Amsterdam. On 21 March 1901 he married in Weesp Anna van Praag, a daughter of Joseph van Praag and Esther Blitz and who was born on 7 October 1875 in Amsterdam. Salomon and Anna had two daughters together: Grietje in 1902 and Esther in 1908.

After their wedding the Blitz couple lived at the Binnen Amstel 312 3rd floor but moved in 1903 to Korte Amstelstraat 14 3rd floor. Via the Gerard Doustaat, the Vrolikstraat and the Biesboschstraat 18 parterre, they came living at the Meerhuizenplein 30 parterre in Amsterdam New-South on 20 December 1934. In 1940 Salomon and Anna moved in with their daughter Grietje, who was married to Johan Kinsbergen and lived at Biesboschstraag 64 parterre. Per 31 May 1941 they moved in with their daughter Esther, who was married to Emanuel van West, who lived at Haarlemmermeerstraat 102 3rd floor.

Salomon Blitz started previously as a diamond polisher but later he became a fuel trader. During the war, his business was designated as a so-called “Joods Lokaal” (Jewish Business), which was exclusively and only accessible for Jews. His son-in-law Emanuel van West, the husband of his daughter Esther, worked in his business too since he was no longer allowed to work as a window dresser for the fashion shop Maison de Vries. In the summer of 1942 he had a “Sperre bis auf weiteres” from the Jewish Council (exempted from deportation until further notice), because of his function in the business of his father-in-law.

The working conditions in th fuel trade would not have been the healthiest (among others coal): Salomon Blitz passed away on 3 November 1942 in Amsterdam ag the age of 72 and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Muiderberg.

His wife, the widow Anna van Praag lived in still with her daughter Esther and son-in-law Emanuel van West, but she too was carried off to Westerbork on 3 June 1942. There she ended up in barrack 81, a hospital barrack. She was eventually put on transport to Sobibor on 29 June 1942 and on arrival there on 2 July 1943, immediately killed in the gas chambers.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, the Peoples Registry 1874-1893, family registration card of Salomon Blitz, archive card of Anna van Praag; website hetstenenarchief.nl/grave Salomon Blitz; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Anna van Praag and Emanuel van West.

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