David Blits (b. 10-Jun-1922 in Amsterdam) was the first son of Simon Blits and Duifje Blits-Engelsman. He was employed both as a barber (probably in his father's shop) and a diamond worker. David married Debora Prijs on 14-Oct-1942 in Amsterdam, however, this was during a period of deportations, including many from their families.
David Blits lived with his parents Simon and Duifje, as well as his brother Isaäc at the home in Vrolikstraat 36 huis in Amsterdam at the time of deportation. The document included on this page is from August of 1942, where David Blits was asked by the Diamond Industry Guild Head to submit a statement about his address, a current passport photo and his family members that had already been deported. In this questionnaire, David names his father Simon Blits and brother Isaäc Blits, including a description of their location. In the document, both are reported to be in 'R.W.K', presumed to stand for 'Rijks Werk Kamp' or labor camp.
At some point after the deportation of his mother from the family home in September, 1942, David Blits moved in with the de Groot family two houses away at Vrolikstraat 38. On 14-Oct-1942, David married Debora Prijs, however, the two were never able to live together. We also know that his parents Simon and Duifje, as well as his brother Isaäc were not in attendance. As his grandparents Isaac Blits and Heintje Blits-Pach were deported in the following spring, it is possible that they were at the wedding. Three weeks after the ceremony on 07-Nov-1942, David was deported to Westerbork, staying only a few days.
David Blits was among the 748 deportees transported from Westerbork on 10-Nov-1942 to Auschwitz. The train was originally scheduled to leave on 09-Nov-1942, but was delayed, at which point the prisoners were led to Barrack 73, where they were held under guard until the train left the following morning at 6am. David’s fate after boarding this train is somewhat unclear. There is a handwritten note in this Amsterdam City Archive card, which states his date of death as 31-Mar-1944 in Midden Europa, or Central Europe. Additionally, there is a death certificate issued in 1952 by the Ministry of Justice that confirms this date and location. However, there is no conclusive evidence of what happened to David once he boarded the train. There is a slim chance that David was transported all the way to Auschwitz, as only three men from this train were admitted upon arrival for slave labor.
However, the most likely explanation is that David was among the 180 'able-bodied men between 15-50' that were taken off the train when it arrived in Cosel. In the period between August and December 1942, Cosel was used as a way station for many young men on the trains from Western Europe. These men were put into forced labor in one of the camps in Silesia, the largest being Blechhammer. Many of these workers were used as slave labor on the Autobahn system throughout the occupied countries of Europe. Workers were also put to work in factories and for the Deutsche Bahn Railroad. The laborers faced harsh conditions. When they fell ill, injured or otherwise unable to work, they were killed on the spot or sent further on for extermination in one of the nearby camps. Of the approximately 3,400 men deported from Westerbork through Cosel, only 193 survived the war.
Sources
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Archive Card David Blits
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Death Certificate David Blits
ITS 130260932: Judenrat Card David Blits
ITS 89947777: 6.3.3.2 Korrespondenz TD 253 931
van Rens, Annelies, et al: Uitstoppen in Cosel
Yad Vashem: Transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz on 10-Nov-1942