Abraham Salomon Kannewasser was a son of Salomon Aron Kannewasser and Jansje (Gittel) Leon Beek. He was born 18 May 1883 in Den Helder and worked in various jobs; he was a cook, a bread baker and his latest was as vendor at the street market of occasional goods.
Abraham Kannewasser was unsubscribed ex-officio from the Peoples Registry of Den Helder on 16 February 1926. It appeared that he was living since that date in Amsterdam at various addresses. In October 1936 he lived at Lepelkruisstraat 15 3rd floor and per 20 December 1940 at Nieuwe Herengracht 209 parterre. Before 1936, he went to Almelo at the age of 17, where he lived for two years. Thereafter he went to Utrecht and up from 1908 he went from Kampen to Amsterdam.
Abraham Salomon Kannewasser married on 2 November 1910 in Amsterdam the 24-year old Maria van Esso from Kampen. On 5 October 1911 they had a son, Salomon Isidore, who lost his life on 31 January 1944 in Auschwitz. The marriage of Abraham and Maria however did not last and ended in a divorce on 3 August 1918. Maria van Esso remarried 12 June 1919 in Zaandam the bread baker and pastry chef Frederik van der Hak from Appingedam. Both survived the Holocaust: Frederik passed away 12 September 1949 and Maria on 23 November 1964 in Amsterdam.
On 6 april 1921 Abraham Kannewasser married for the 2nd time in Zaandam the 37-year old widow of Levie Pachter, Betje Polak, a daughter of Barend Polak and Klara Vos. Betje Polak was previously married to Levie Pachter on 10 November 1910 in Amsterdam; however Levie passed away already on 21 January 1917. Betje and Levie had three children together, namely Maurits, Clara and Barend Pachter. Clara survived the Holocaust and died in January 1990 in Amsterdam. Maurits and Barend were killed during the Shoah: Maurits on 30 September 1942 in Auschwitz and Barend on 28 February 1943, also in Auschwitz.
Also the 2nd marriage of Abraham Kannewasser and Betje Polak did not last as on 2 October 1925 this wedlock ended in a divorce too. Still on 4 June 1926 both their daughter Jansje Kannewasser was born who eventually lost her life in Auschwitz too on 30 September 1942.
Abraham Salomon Kannewasser and his ex Betje Polak were arrested together and taken to Westerbork during the large-scale raids in Amsterdam of early October 1942 and they were both put on transport on 12 October 1942 to Auschwitz. With this transport also Barend Pachter was deported, the son of Betje Polak’s first marriage to Levie Pachter. Barend was deployed as forced laborere and lost his life on 28 February 1943 in Auschwitz but Abraham Salomon Kannewasser and his ex-wife Betje Polak were killed immediately upon arrival in Auschwitz on 15 October 1942.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Abraham Salomon Kannewasser, Maria van Esso, Betje Polak, Barend Pachter, Clara Pachter, Maurits Pachter, Salomon Isidore Kannewasser, Jansje Kannewasser and Frederik Hak; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Abraham Salomon Kannewasser, Maria van Esso, Betje Polak, Barend Pachter Cato Pachter Maurits Pachter, Salomon Isidore Kannewasser en Jansje Kannewasser and genealogical information from a visitor of the website.