Salomon Simons, born 5 October 1914 in Hoogezand, was a son of Freerk Simons from Hoogezand and Leentje Gans from Kantens (province of Groningen). He married 18 November 1936 in Amsterdam Marianne van Sweeden, a daughter of Abraham van Sweeden and Elisabeth Swart. In Amsterdam their two sons were born: Freerk on 2 June 1938 and Abraham on 25 December 1942.
Salomon Simons was a branch manager in one of the groceries from the Cooperative Samenwerking in Amsterdam and Marianne van Sweeden worked as a shop lady. After their wedding, they lived at Hofmeijerstraat 40, moved per 1 March 1937 to De La Reystraat 1, where their son Freerk was born and per 23 June 1939 they lived at Christiaan de Wetstraat 63, where in 1942 their son Abraham was born.
Since 10 July 1942, Salomon was employed at the “expedition bread supply”, an outside department of the Jewish Council in Amsterdam and was exempted from deportation (“gesperrt”), “because of function”. Because of that, also his wife and son Freerk were exempted from deportation for the time being and until further notice.
On Sunday 20 June 1943, the Germans held a secretly prepared large-scale raid, whereby in Amsterdam South and East 5500 Jews were arrested who were carried off 20 and 21 June to Westerbork. Salomon Simons ended up there with his 5-year old son Freerk on 20 June and his wife Marianne and her 6-months old little son Abraham the next day, 21 June 1943.
Because of the big chaos at the time of arrival of so many people, it is unclear in which barrack the Simons family was accommodated. They stayed two weeks in Westerbork till they were put on transport 6 July 1943 to Sobibor. There, on arrival on 9 July 1943, Salomon, his wife Marianne and their two sons Freerk and Abraham were immediately killed.
City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Salomon Simons, Marianne van Sweeden, Freerk Simons and the family registration card of Salomon Simons; website hetgeheugenvanoost.nl/ cooperative Samenwerking; “Ondergang” volume 1 by Dr. J. Presser, page 458/outside department bread supply; website NIOD/raid 20 June 1943 and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of van Salomon Simons, Marianne Simons-van Sweeden, Freerk Simons en Abraham Simons.