Philip Jacob Cohen, born on 16 February 1923 in Rotterdam, was the only son of Meijer Cohen and Jacoba Adriana de Heer. His father passed already in Amsterdam in 1939 at the age of 43 and he was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen. Philip Jacob lived in Rotterdam, Hillegersberg and in Bressoux near Luik (Liège) in Belgium but since 1 May 1936 he lived with his parents again in the Netherlands, at the Graaf Florisstraat 25 1st floor in Amsterdam. He was unmarried.
After his mother, who was widowed in October 1939, has been arrested and carried off to Westerbork on 20 April 1943, Philip Jacob had to leave the Graaf Florisstraat. He moved and ended up in the Transvaalstraat 98 2nd floor in Amsterdam-East, where he was registered on 7 May 1943.
Philip, who according to his registration card from the Jewish Council had been working previously in stationery and was employed as office clerk at the State Post Office , had this job since 18 July 1942 as errand boy at the education department of the Jewish Council, which was located in the Tulpstraat 17 in Amsterdam. He had a “Sperre because of function”. He had a Jewish Council I.D. nr. A-1973 thus exempted from deportation for the time being. He also worked as a youth leader and office clerk at the education department of the Jewish Council.
On 20 June 1943, during the large-scale raid which was secretly prepared by the Germans, also Philip Jacob Cohen was arrested and together with more than 5500 other victims carried off to Westerbork, where he ended up in the penal barrack 67 for not known reasons. On 29 June Philip Jacob Cohen was put on transport to Sobibor and upon arrival there on 2 July 1943 immediately killed in the gas chambers there.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Meijer Cohen, dito of Meijer Cohen for Hillegersberg Municipality; the city archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Philip Jacob Cohen and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Philip Jacob Cohen.