Biography

What happened to Maurits Appelboom, his wife Sophia Wilhelmina Neuburger and their children Dorus and Betty.

Maurits Appelboom was the son of Abraham Appelboom and Debora Mok. He was born at Lepelstraat 59 in Amsterdam on 14 November 1898. Like his father, he became a member of the ANDB, the General Dutch Diamond Workers Union and learned brilliant cutting there. On 19 May 1919 he was accepted as member 5139. He continued to work in the diamond trade until he married in 1926.

Before he was married, he had no longer lived at home at Ingogostraat 13 1st floor, since January 1920, but lived in now with Vos at Lepelstraat 59 3rd stock; In 1924 he moved and found housing at Mauritsstraat 12 2nd floor with Samson Monnikendam and from January to May 1926 he lived at home again at Ingogostraat 13 I until his marriage.

That took place on 29 April 1926 when Maurits Appelboom married Sophia Wilhelmina Neuburger; she was also born in Amsterdam on 6 September 1898, a daughter of Andries Neuburger and Betje Eljon. After the marriage was concluded, they moved into a house at Linneausparkweg 72 in Amsterdam's Watergraafsmeer. From then on, Maurits earned his living as a traveling salesman in bicycles.

The couple had two children, namely: Dorus on 23 November 1927 and their daughter Betty was born on 21 August 1929. Until their mandatory registration with the Jewish Council in 1941 and their deportation, the family still lived at Linneausparkweg in Watergraafsmeer.

The archives of the Red Cross show that between 31 March 1943 and 11 May 1943, there were no Jew train-transports to Westerbork, which usually departed from Amsterdam. The April-May strikes of 1943 may have contributed to this. “The events of April 29 to May 7, 1943 and the consequences of the strike action” are described in detail in the book by Dr. P.J. Bouman, professor at the University of Groningen, published by Martinus Nijhof, The Hague 1950. (Dutch language only - you may wish to read this about it).

There were no trains from Amsterdam to Westerbork in the aforementioned period. Yet the entire Appelman family was brought into Westerbork on Friday, 30 April 1943, after being arrested or "picked up from their home after 8 o'clock in the evening", the time after which Jews were forbidden to leave their houses and go to the streets. Unfortunately that is not known.

Upon arrival in Westerbork, the Appelman family was housed in barrack 60 and deported to Sobibor on 4 May 1943 in a transport of 1187 victims. After arrival, Maurits Appelman and his wife Sophia Wilhelmina Neuburger, both 44 years old, and their children Dorus and Betty Appelman, 15 and 13 years old respectively, were murdered on 7 May 1943 in the gas chambers of Sobibor. There were no survivors from this transport.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration cards of Abraham Appelman (1869) and Maurits Appelman (1898); archive cards of Maurits Appelman, Sophia Wilhelmina Neuburger, Dorus and Betty Appelman; ANDB membership cards of Maurits Apelman; Amsterdam residence cards/Maurits Appelman living in with  Samson Monnikendam and the Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/transport of 4 May 1943.

 

All rights reserved