Joseph Drukker, a son of Samuel Drukker and Regina Bleekroode, was born on 24 June 1891 in Amsterdam. On 3 September 1913 he married for the first time to Esther Salomons, a daughter of Simon Salomons and Sprins Wagenaar. Before his marriage, he earned his money as a shoe stitcher but after his wedding, he became a chazzan with the Dutch Israëlitic Congregation They lived at Kerkstraat 346 but moved already soon to Nieuwe Kerkstraat 113.
From December 1916 Joseph Drukker lived at Commelinstraat 113 3rd floor in Amsterdam's Dapper-neighborhood. During that year Joseph was installed as cantor in the chewreshul Bene Berith Bebeth Ja-acob, which was located at no. 124. He remained there until 1919, after which he moved to the Uilenburg synagogue, where he was a cantor from 1919 to 1928. He became a shochet (ritual slaughterer) in the Main Synagogue from 1928 to 1938.
Joseph and Esther's childless marriage did not last. Already at the end of May 1922, Joseph Drukker had left his wife and stayed at the strictly kosher Pension Cohen on the Nieuwe Herengracht 35. Some time later he moved to house number 221. On 27 February 1924, the marriage was dissolved by divorce, after which Esther Salomons stayed shortly for her parents, who then lived on Nieuwe Prinsengracht, after which she left for Enschede.
On 25 February 1924, Joseph Drukker remarried Mietje Peper, a daughter of Leendert Peper and Vogeltje Blom. Mietje was born on 1 October 1903 in Amsterdam, and after the marriage was concluded, they lived at Plantage Middenlaan 12. Again removals followed, as to Oudeschans 1, to Nieuwe Herengracht 205 upperhouse in 1929, to Plantage Kerklaan 34 in 1934 and in the end to Lekstraat 61 groundfloor on 11 May 1942.
Meantime, Joseph and Mietje had three children: on 15 April 1926 their firstborn Regina Judith. On 6 January 1928 Vera Eva and on 15 March 1938 Leo Samuel. Regina Judith survived the Shoah, stayed 20 October 1945 at Weesperplein 1 in Amsterdam in the “Joodse Invalide” and left for Israël after the war. She still testified at Yad Vashem for her parents, sister and brother in 1999.
During registration with the Jewish Council in 1941, Joseph Drukker was "gesperrt because of function," i.e. exempt from deportation "bis auf weiteres." This also exempted his wife Mietje Peper and their three children from deportation for the time being. Joseph Drukker received a legitimation from the Jewish Council, no. 79: since August 1919 he had been chief cantor and under-secretary at the NIHS, the Dutch Israelitic Main Synagogue, and treasurer of the Menachem Abelim burial society (Dutch language only).
When in the summer of 1943 all exemptions had effectively expired and on 20 June the Germans carried out a large raid in which more than 5500 Jews were rounded up in Amsterdam, Aus der Fünten came to the conclusion that a small Jewish Council should continue to exist after all. Too soon the whole affair was not to be liquidated. It was decided that 170 persons were allowed to keep the last remnant of the Jewish Council going and they were given a so-called "Ausnahme-Bescheinigung 170." Joseph Drukker and his family also received that very last exemption from deportation.
That exemption did not last long. On 29 September 1943, Joseph and his family were taken to Westerbork and housed in barrack 64. Amsterdam was declared "Judenrein" and de Jewish Council was dissolved.
On 3 March 1944, Joseph Drukker, his wife Mietje Peper and their children Vera Eva and Leo Samuel were deported to Auschwitz. Upon arrival on 6 March 1944, Joseph, Mietje and their 5-year-old son Leo Samuel were immediately murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz Birkenau.
Of their 16-year-old daughter Vera Eva, it is clear that she was not killed at the same time as her parents and brother, but her exact date of death is not known. After the war, the Dutch Authorities determined her date of death to be 31 July 1944 in the vicinity of Auschwitz.
Sources include. the City Archives of Amsterdam, family registration cards of Samuel Drukker (1859) and Joseph Drukker; archive cards of Joseph Drukker, Esther Salomons, Mietje Peper, Regina Judith Drukker, Vera Eva Drukker and Leo Samuel Drukker; Amsterdam residence cards/Nieuwe Kerkstraat 113, Nieuwe Keizersgracht 45 and Lekstraat 61; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Joseph Drukker, Mietje Drukker-Peper, Regina Judith Drukker, Vera Eva Drukker and Leo Samuel Drukker and the website Jodentansporten from the Netherlands.nl/transport 3 March 1944.