Bernard Speijer was born in Amsterdam on 18 May 1898 as a son of Jacob Speijer and Esther Vischschraper. He was a street market vendor and a parlor by profession and during the war employee at the Jewish Council, where he was included on 19 Febuary 1943 at the department food preparation for Westerbork.
Bernard Speijer married on 27 August 1919 in Amsterdam Marianna à Catan, a daughter of Emanuel à Catan and Grietje Baske; she was born there on 21 March 1899. The Bernard Speijer couple after their marriage lived at Zwanenburgerstraat 45 but moved to Markenplein 2a on 5 August 1925.
Between 1920 and 1937 Bernard and Marianna had a large family; they had eleven children, of whom Louis however died over 1 year old – he was born 6 Februray 1934 but died 29 April 1934. Their other children were Jacob, Emanuel, Maurice, Esther, Greta, Dora, Jozef, Simon, Elisabeth and Rachel.
The result of the expansion of the family was also, that there had to be relocated about seven times, such as to Korte Houtstraat, Rapenburgerstraat, Nieuwegrachtje and to the Zeeburgerdijk but on 1 Sepember the family moved into a house at the Ben Viljoenstraat 19 1st floor in the Transvaal District of Amsterdam-East, where they have lived until their deportations.
On 1 August 1942 Marianna à Catan passed away in Amsterdam and Bernard Speijer was left behind with his ten children. The eldest of the girls, Esther, undoubtly has taken over the care of the family. The eldest son Jacob was already working as a butcher, Emanuel was a barber and Maurice a bicycle boy.
Then there has been decided that the six youngest children should be accommodated in the orphanage: on 16 September 1942 Simon and Jozef were brought to the Jewish Boys Orphanage (Joodse Jongensweeshuis) Megadle Jethomim at Amstel 21 and the girls Dora, Greta, Elisabeth and Rachel went on 19 October 1942 to the Girls Orphanage (Meisjesweeshuis) Ma’asiem Toviem Megadle Jethomoth in the Rapenburgerstraat 171.
Meantime Bernard Speijer had changed profession: he was a cook now and per 19 February 1943 working at the department food preparation for Westerbork at the Jewish Council. However, together with his eldest daughter Esther, he was carried off to concentration camp Vught on 16 March 1943, from where he has been transferred to the Moerdijk Aussen Kommando (the extern labor command Moerdijk).
His daughter Esther remained in Vught but on 3 July 1943, after Bernard had returned from Moerdijk in Vught, they were both transported to Westerbork. Three days later, on 6 July they were deported to Sobibor, were upon arrival there, both were immediately murdered in the gas chambers on 9 July 1943.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Bernard Speijer, archive cards of Bernard Speijer, Marianna à Catan and Esther Speijer; website Joods Amsterdam.nl/joods jongensweeshuis (boys orphanage) and Joods meisjesweeshuis (girls orphanage); the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Bernard Speijer, Marianna Speijer-à Catan and Esther Speijer;archive ITS Arolson, camp cards Vught of Bernard Speijer and Esther Speijer; website Traces of War/Moerdijk; the Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl and information about the passing of Marianna à Catan by Ronald Speijer.