Celine van Heijningen-Speyer

We have been unable to determine whether one or more members of this family survived the war. While their names do not appear on the lists of survivors, we have not been able to trace them in In Memoriam either. They are therefore labeled as 'surviving' and their names are not listed.

She was born and raised in Antwerp and after studying music became a piano teacher in Den Haag. Her husband, Isaak, was a marine engineer. They had four sons: Loek, Charles, Mike, and Jan who all survived WW2.

Photo of mother with youngest son Jan and older son Charles

Her birth certificate shows that she was born in Antwerp in August 1896 to Anna Cohen (1868-1943) and Salomon Speyer (1862-), a diamond cutter. Both her parents were born in Rotterdam and married in Amsterdam in 1889.

There have been eleven grandchildren who now live in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Canada and the United States. One of her granddaughters, Elsbeth, has worked in Den Haag at the Royal Academy of Art (fashion and textiles) not far from the Frambozenstraat.

Celine Speijer was born in Antwerp in 1896, she had four younger sisters (Clemence, Maria Henrietta, Berthe, Rachel) , her mother was Anna Cohen (1868-1943) and father was Salomon Speijer (1862–). Both Anna and Salomon were born in Rotterdam, became married in Amsterdam in 1889 and moved to Antwerp where Salomon worked as a diamond cutter. Salomon’s father was Samuel Speijer.