Simon Duitz was the fifth of the nine children of religious teacher Salomon Duitz and Elisabeth Duizend. His father was born in The Hague and was head of a school there. After he married in 1901, two sisters and a brother of Simon were born in The Hague, namely: Alida, Louise and Henri. In August 1905 his parents and the three eldest children came from The Hague to Amsterdam where they moved into a house at Kazernestraat 26. Simon was born there on 29 April 1907.
On 5 May 1926, Simon Duitz was called up for the Inspection Board of the National Militia, where Simon was initially declared temporarily unfit for service, has been provisionally released on 30 June 1926 due to brotherly service, but was declared permanently unfit for service on 15 March 1927 due to malaria. The statement of his personal details and education at the time showed that Simon Duitz worked as a commercial traveler in looking-glass and completed 6 years of primary school, followed by 2 ½ years of Dutch Israelite Semenarium plus evening classes in modern languages.
In addition to Kazernestraat 26, where Simon was born, the Duitz family also lived at the Plantage Doklaan 36 and Linnaeusparkweg 35 in Watergraafsmeer, where his father died in 1934. His mother then moved with his sibs who were still living at home to Swammerdamstraat 24 ground floor in Amsterdam East.
However, not Simon: he then moved to Insulindeweg 198 and moved into the house and shop on the ground floor. According to the Amsterdam Address Books, 1933-1934 edition, Simon's entry at the time was "Duitz, Simon, Insulindeweg 198" with the addition "In Delicacies" as well as his telephone and giro number. According to older address books, Simon previously lived at Linneausparkweg 35.
His three unmarried aunts, Sara, Naatje and Jansje Duitz, sisters of his father, moved on 2 November 1932 from 2e Boerhaavestraat 67, 2nd floor, also to Insulindeweg 198, where they lived until 21 May 1940, but then left for Muiderstraat 22 ground floor. The website Joods Amsterdam.nl indicates that just before the war, the Duitz grocery store was located at Muiderstraat 22 with Sara, Naatje and Jansje Duitz. Other sources show that Sara and Naatje were “saleswomen foods” but Jansje was described as “grocery storekeeper”.
Both Simon Duitz and his aunt Jansje were exempted from deporation by the Jewish Council “because of Joodsch Lokaal” (Joodsch Lokaal = store only for Jews). Simon's Jewish Council card mentions his Sperre “Joodsch Lokaal A 356” and “Grocery store Duitz 1932, since 1 Nov 32”. His (high) Sperre number was 94546 and after the move to Muiderstraat number 97659. The entry on Jansje Duitz's registration card read: “Exempted from deportation because of Joodsch Lokaal since 15 July 1942”, whereby she obtained the Sperre number 94707. Her sisters Sara and Naatje were not “gesperrt”, thus not exempted from deportation.
Those two aunts, Sara and Naatje Duitz, were arrested on 23 March 1943 and taken to Westerbork, where they had to await their deportation to Sobibor in barrack 65. Both were deported to Sobibor on 30 March and on arrival there on 2 April 1943 they werd killed directly in the gas chambers.
On 20 June 1943, during the major raid secretly prepared by the Germans, Simon Duitz and his aunt Jansje were arrested and taken to Westerbork. Simon was only deported with the last transport from Westerbork to Sobibor on 20 July 1943 and murdered in the gas chambers upon arrival there on 23 July 1943. His aunt Jansje was deported to Sobibor on 29 June 1943 and gassed there after arriving there on 2 July 1943.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, closed family registrations of Levie Duitz (1845; family registration cards of Salomon Duitz, Sara Duitz and Simon Duitz; Amsterdam residence cards of 2e Boerhaavestraat 62, Plantage Doklaan 12a and no. 36, Insulindeweg 198 ground floor and Swammerdamstraat 24 ground floor; Archive cards Amsterdam of Simon Duitz (1907) Sara Duitz (1877), Naatje Duitz (1879 and Jansje Duitz (1887); Amsterdam Addressbooks, editions 1930-1931 till 1939-1940/Duitz; birth certificatd no. 228 from 1907- book 10-36v dated 1 May 1907 for Simon Duitz/Kazernestraat 26; Market permit (shop) Insulindeweg 198 for Simon Duitz; Website Joods Amsterdam/straten/Muiderstraat 22 (Dutch language only); the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Simon Duitz and Jansje Duitz and of Sara and Naatje Duitz; Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/transports of 30 March 1943, 29 June 1943 and 20 July 1943.