Salomon Lampie was the eldest of the three children of Mozes Lampie and Bertha Cohen. He was born on 1 June 1916 in Amsterdam, he became a wallpaperer and upholsterer and he had a shop where beds and blankets were sold.
He married Betje van Kleef on 8 November 1939 in Amsterdam, a daughter of Isaac van Kleef and Lea van Praag. She was born in Amsterdam on 26 August 1917 and after their marriage they both moved into living space at Nieuwe Herengracht 51, where the shop was located too.
On 5 April 1941, Salomon and Betje moved to Jonas Daniël Meijerplein 19 I (called Houtmarkt by the Germans during the war). Before his marriage to Betje van Kleef, Salomon Lampie lived with his parents and brothers at Weesperstraat 62 2nd level. Betje then was still living at home at Transvaalstraat 104 3rd level in Amsterdam-East.
Salomon Lampie was initially “gesperrt” (exempted) because of function. He worked as an inspector for the Jewish Council in the H.A.V. department – Help To Departures at Reguliersgracht 109 in Amsterdam. For this purposehe had received an I.D. from the Jewish Council with no. JR-B-86 on 23 August 1942. In addition, his store was also designated as a Jewish Business, as can be deduced from notes on his Jewish Council registration card: Lok.Z.A.511, which meant that only Jews were allowed to enter his store to purchase items.
Salomon's cousin, Friedrich Michel, a son of Abraham Bernard Michel who was married to Friedrich’s aunt Esther Cohen, was also "gesperrt" because of function. He was a tailor and worked at the Jewish Central Tailoring, part of the Jewish Central for Vocational Training at Muiderstraat 21. From 27 July 1942, the Jewish Council had issued him with an I.D. no. JR B-490-Kleermaker (tailor).
Friedrich's parents were taken to Westerbork in early 1943 and Friedrich then moved in with his cousin Salomon Lampie at Houtmarkt 19 1st floor. Friedrich eventually survived the Holocaust - by going into hiding at some point, he ended up in Belgium and "popped up" there again on 15 June 1945. How different things went with Salomon and his wife Betje:
Betje Lampie-van Kleef was taken from her home on 24 May 1943 and carried off to Westerbork, where she ended up in barrack 55 after registration. She strongly objected to the fact that she was taken to Westerbork, and tried to demonstrate that her husband Salomon Lampie was exempted from deportation because their shop was classified as a Jewish Business ánd because her husband worked for the Jewish Council at the department H.A.V. - Help To Departurers.
A copy of her husband's Personal I.D. card, on which this was noted, would be sufficient to prove this. But on 6 June 1943, the question still arose: where is that copy of the Personal I.D?
On 6 July 1943, after all efforts that ultimately led to nothing, Betje Lampie-van Kleef was deported to Sobibor with more than 2400 other deportees. Upon arrival, Betje and everyone else were immediately killed in the gas chambers. There were no survivors.
In May 1943 many exemptions had already been cancelled by the Germans. On 20 June 1943, a major raid was held, where more than 5500 Jews were caught and deported. In September 1943, the Jewish Council was also abolished and Amsterdam was declared “Judenrein”. Based on notes on Salomon Lampie's registration card, it could be assumed that Salomon made further attempts to go into hiding. Apparently that didn't work out, because on 23 September 1943, Salomon Lampie was imprisoned in Westerbork in penal barrack 67.
It was not until 8 February 1944 that Salomon was deported to Auschwitz with 1014 other victims, where upon arrival he has been selected for “Arbeit”. He ended up in one of the many sub-camps of Auschwitz, the External Command Jaworzno, which was located North from Auschwitz and East of Katowice. This SS forced labor camp was also called “Neu Dachs”, where about 5000 forced laborers had to work in coal mines and factories. About 2000 prisoners died in the camp. In addition, every month ± 200 prisoners who could no longer work were transported to Auschwitz to be gassed there.
The camp, which was operational under the Nazis from 15 June 1943 to 19 January 1945, was evacuated then. Salomon Lampie could no longer experience the latter: he was already murdered there on 24 April 1944.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Mozes Lampie, archive cards of Salomon Lampie and Betje van Kleef; residence card Houtmarkt 19 1st floor/Salomon Lampie; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Salomon Lampie and Betje Lampie-van Kleef; website oorlogsbronnen/jaworzno (dutch language only); website Traces of War/Neu Dachs (Dutch Language only); wikipedia website Jaworzno concentrantion camp (English Language only), the Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/7 July 1943 and 8 February 1944 and the death certificate for Salomon Lampie, no.341 dated 28 May 1953 from the A-register 96-folio 59, made out in Amsterdam.