Simon Gokkes married Rebecca Winnik, the daughter of Rachel Winnik-Koopman and Jacob Winnik, on 22 November 1922. Simon was born on 21 March 1897 in Amsterdam as the son of David Gokkes and Rachel Rimini. Rebecca Winnik was born on 5 September 1895. Simon Gokkes was a merchant in paper as was stated on his personal card of the Amsterdam archives, but he was also a music teacher and since 1935 he was also a choir conductor at the NIHS synagogue in the Jacob Obrechtstraat.
Simon Gokkes and Rebecca Winnik had two children, namely: David Jacob on 23 November 1928 and Rachel Simona on 16 May 1937. After their marriage, the couple lived at Holendrechtstraat 13 II in Amsterdam-Zuid, moved to the ground floor of Deurloostraat 7 in early September 1928, then to the Newtonstraat 62, in August 1935 to Bronckhorststraat 48 II and on 2 September 1940 their last known address in Amsterdam became Tilanusstraat 78.
After the mandatory registration of all Jews in the Netherlands in 1941, Simon Gokkes was “exempted from deportation (“gesperrt”)” by the Jewish Council, “because of function”. His family was also temporarily exempt from deportation. That only lasted until 26 November 1942; The entire Gokkes-Winnik family was arrested then and carried off to Westerbork during the night of 25 to 26 November, where they stayed in barrack 73 until the beginning of February 1943.
After arrival in November in Westerbork, as well as in December and January, many attempts were made to avoid deportation, as can be seen from the various notes on the Jewish Council cards of Simon Gokkes. Upon arrival on 26 November 1942, a case of illness was immediately reported; On 30 December Dr. Katz was asked about the possibility of staying in Westerbork as a family, due to the poor health of the children. The next day, advice was given to go to notary Spier for a discussion.
It can also be deduced from the notes on Simon Gokkes' registration cards, that after arrival in Westerbork from the beginning of December 1942 to the end of January 1943, intensive correspondence was initiated from Westerbork with various authorities, including the Central Information Office in Westerbork (Antragstelle), by the Contact Department in Westerbork, with, among others, the Dutch Israelitic Main Synagogue (NIHS), with the Expositur in Amsterdam, with Simon's brother Jacob Winnik and with the Central Information Office of the Jewish Council on the Lijnbaansgracht in Amsterdam, and with the Amsterdam employment office.
All this led to nothing and on February 2, 1943 the entire Gokkes family, consisting of Simon Gokkes, his wife Rebecca Winnik and their children David Jacob and Rachel Simona, was deported to Auschwitz. They were murdered there immediately upon arrival in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Sources include the Amsterdam City Archives, archive cards of Simon Gokkes, Rebecca Winnik and Jacob Gokkes; Residence cards of Amsterdam/Simon Gokkes/Holendrechtstraat 13, Deurloostraat 7, Newtonstraat 62, Bronckhorststraat 48 II and Tilanusstraat 78; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Simon Gokkes, Rebecca Gokkes-Winnik and David Jacob and Rachel Simona Winnik and the Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl (Transports of Jews from the Netherlands)/2 February 1943.