Biography

About Abraham Rodrigues Parreira and his wife Jetje Brandon.

Abraham Rodrigues Parreira was a son of David Rodrigues Parreira and Esther Meljado. He started his career in Amsterdam as a diamond worker, more specific as a brilliant adjuster in section 3. He was a member of the ANDB, the Algemene Nederlandse Diamantbewerkers Bond (the diamond workers trade union) since 8 January 1898. But during his life Abraham also earned his living as a cigar shopkeeper.

On 8 August 1898 he married in Amsterdam Jetje Brandon, a daughter of Aäron Brandon and Mietje Drievoet. Jetje was born on 19 November 1873. After they were married, they moved into a house at Valckenierstraat 51 2nd floor in Amsterdam, moved already in May 1899 to Lepelstraat 59, and since then, another five more relocations followed, till they lived again in the Valckenierstraat per June 1913, yet in house 57 1st floor.

Meantime their six children were born: on 30 September 1898 Mietje, followed by Esther on 1 December 1899. Then Hendrika came on 16 June 1902 and Judith on 27 September 1903. Their only son Aäron was born on 20 June 1907 and as the last one, Benvenida was born on 10 July 1914.

As said, the family lived at Valckenierstraat 57 1st floor in Amsterdam. But on 8 March 1924, Abraham left  for Antwerp, on his own, where he had found a job as diamond adjuster with Messrs. Mozes Zomerplaag in the Nottebohmstraat 43 in the Zurenborg district of Antwerp, where he earned 150 Bfrs weekly. He resided however in the Boomgaardstraat 199 in Berchem, only a few streets distant from Messrs. Zomerplaag.

When Abraham was invited to appear at the Office for Foreigners in the Antwerp Police Station on 23 June 1924, to receive his permanent permit to stay in Belgium, it appeared that he had left Antwerp already three weeks earlier for the Valckenierstraat 57 in Amsterdam again, the residence of his wife and kids.

Is September 1927 the Rodrigues Parreira family moved from Valckenierstraat to Koningsstraat 35, and whereafter again some nine more relocations followed. On 1 August 1938 they lived at Leeuwenhoekstraat 1a in Amsterdam and on 7 October 1939 their last relocation followed to Plantage Muidergracht 67 groundfloor + 1st stock.

Abraham Rodrigues Parreira however passed away on 19 December 1940 in Amsterdam. His widow, Jetje Brandon stayed at Plantage Muidergracht, till she was arrested there on 10 September 1942 and carried off to Westerbork. She was put on transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz on 28 September 1942 and upon arrival there on 1 October 1942, she was immediately murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration cards of Abraham Rodrigues Parreira and Aäron Brandon, archive cards of Abraham Rodrigues Parreira and Jetje Brandon; the Dossier of Foreigners of the City of Antwerp, nr. 176863 image 225-230; Membership ANDB/ Abraham Rodrigues Parreira; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Jetje Rodrigues Parreira-Brandon and the Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl.

 

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