Biography

About Simon Speelman

Simon Speelman was the youngest of the two children of Jacob Abraham Speelman and Alida Blits. He was born in Amsterdam on 19 June 1916 and he was a furrier by profession. He lived at home with his parents at Hofmeyrstraat 11 2nd floor in Amsterdam-East and he was unmarried. His elder sister Judith Speelman was an artist and married in 1942 Isidore Henri van Dantzig.

As a furrier, Simon Speelman has been “gesperrt” by the Jewish Council – exempted from deportation “because of Wehrmacht” (Army). It was known that among others at Messrs. Hirsch at the Leidseplein in Amsterdam, fur vests  were made by exempted people for the Germans on the Eastern front. As far as could deciphered on his Jewish Council registration card, he would have been arrested and carried off to concentration camp Vught already mid January 1943 but discharged again there because of his “Sperre”. (exemption) on 30 January 1943.

On July 10, 1943, Simon Speelman was taken back to camp Vught, where he was put to work as a furrier under “Splitter”, the foreman or forewoman of the fur workshop. But on 15 November 1943, the curtain fell for Simon Speelman as well. That day he and 1148 other victims were deported directly from Vught to Auschwitz.

Upon arrival there on 18 November, Simon Speelman was selected to do “some work” in the camp. Not known is, what he had to do there. Known is however that the circumstances there were horrible, and, if one was not immediately gassed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau, many people lost their lives there due to abuse, hardship or diseases.

It is not exactly known when Simon Speelman has lost his life there, nor under what conditions. After the war, the Dutch Authorities however have established – based on research and testimonies of survivors – that Simon Speelman has died in the vicinity of Auschwitz on 31 January 1944.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Jacob Abraham Speelman and Simon Speelman; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Simon Speelman; website ITS Arolsen/campcard Vught of Simon Speelman; the Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/transport 15 Nov 1943 Vught-Auschwitz and the death certificate of Simon Speelman, made out 31 August 1953 in Amsterdam, nr. 163 from the A-register 85-folio 29.

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