Max Gompertz was the youngest son of Herman Gompertz and Betje Stibbe. He was born 28 January 1919 in Amsterdam and he worked as warehouse clerk, ánd not yet married.
Just as his brother Freddy, Max has tried to escape deportation by fleeing from the Netherlands. In Belgium, he ended up in Mechelen. The Municipality of Amsterdam has therefore unsubscribed him from the Peoples Registry to Mechelen on 6 July 1943. However, in the night of 19 to 20 April 1943 he was deported from Mechelen to Auschwitz with Convoy 20.
The Memorial of the Deportation of the Belgian Jews describes this 20th Convoy as “very typical”: the youngest victim of this transport to the death” is a girl of only 39 days, and the oldest victim was 90 years old. In order to avoid escapes, the SS-police had the transport leave as usual in the night, but for the first time in cattle wagons, from which the little windows were locked.
Despite these precautions, again escapes took place. In the end 1400 deportees are arriving on 22 April 1943 in Auschwitz. 880 of them were immediately murdered in the gas chambers and 520 prisoners were registered in Auschwitz-camp, among them also Max Gompertz.
Max Gompertz was registered in the camp as Maximiliaan Gompertz, born 28 January 1919 in Amsterdam and he got the prisoners number 117544. According to the official certificate of death , which has been drawn up after the war by the Municipality of Amsterdam on orders of the Ministery of Justice, which was published 26 September 1952 in the Government Gazette, he woud have been died on 31 July 1943 in the surrounding of Auschwitz in Poland.
Other information reads, that on indication of the political department of Concentration Camp Auschwitz Birkenau, Max Gompertz – a Jew from Holland (ein holländische Jude) – and another 4 prisoners has been locked up in Block 11 – the so-called Bunker. After a selection in the bunker, they have been shot on 4 September 1943. (Sie werden nach einer in den bunkern durchgeführten Selektion am 4 September 1943 erschossen). The website “Auschwitz Prisoners Database” with entered name “Max Gompertz” shows as a result "Maximiliaan Gompertz" and refers tot the so-called “Bunkerbook” (Bunkerbuch) as a source.
Sources includes the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Herman Gompertz, archive card of Max Gompertz; the Memorial of the Deportation of the Belgian Jews, pages 30 and 31`; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Max Gompertz, the Amsterdam certificate of death A97-fol.28, nr 157 dated 26 Sept 1952 for Max Gompertz; the website Auschwitz Prisoners Database and information of a visitor of the website.