Rosa Kraun was born in Rotterdam on 2 October 1903 as second child of Meijer Kraun from Bariezow (Russia) and his wife Sara Mest from Ostrolengka (Poland). On 12 November 1896 Meijer and Sara were “officially subscribed” in the Peoples Registry of Amsterdam. They lived among others in the so-called “Russian street” the Manegestraat nr. 8 and nr. 12. In Amsterdam their son Jacob was born in 1902 but he died that same year, nearly 10 months old.
On 19 May 1903 Meijer Kraun and his wife left Amsterdam for Rotterdam, where they have lived in the Diergaardestraat 14 and in the Van der Sluijsstraat 49b and nr. 85. There, their other three children were born: Rosa, the only daughter of the family on 2 October 1903, her brother Mozes followed on 15 August 1907 and her brother Simon on 20 November 1910.
Rosa Kraun left Rotterdam on 17 January 1928 for Amsterdam, where she found living with her family of Levie Schop and his wife Mietje Muller in the Kromme Mijdrechstraat 20 2nd floor. She married on 2 May 1928 in Amsterdam the 38-year old shopkeeper Victor Altschul, who was born on 15 January 1890 in Mozyr (Russia) as son of Abraham Altschul and Chasja Grünman, who lived at the time of their son's marriage in Tel Aviv in Palestine. On 27 June 1928, Rosa again was unsubscribed from Amsterdam to Rotterdam.
Based on the 10th Census of 31 December 1920, Victor Altschul was registered as citizen of Rotterdam. He then was working as a hotel clerk, had no residence yet and had lodging in the guest house keeper of Mrs. Ella Greville at the Nieuwe Binnenweg 160b. Later, Victor became a shopkeeper and merchant.
On 12 January 1928 he left for Amsterdam and stayed then at Amstelkade 12 1st floor with the family of his wife, Abraham Muller and Anna Schop. After he had wed Rosa Kraun, Victor and Rosa returned to Rotterdam on 27 June 1928 and went living with his wife at Zwart Janstraat 86, where Victor also had is two shops and where their daughter Sara was born on 7 May 1931. On 29 January 1932 they moved to Bergschelaan 222a and on 27 July 1935 still another move followed to Bergsingel 77. And during the bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940, the family hid in the trenches which had been dug there.
It was very likely that Victor Altschul was active in an East-Jewish Community and in 1938, together with two other men, he was a delegate for a meeting of the Federation East-Jewish Association (Federatie Oost-Joodsch Verbond). An article from the New Israëlitic Weekly (NIW) of 21 October 1938 shows that he was openly involved in legal counel for Eastern Jew and from the NIW of 21 April 1939, it appeared that Victor Altschul had become the chairman of the Eastern Jewish Association.
On 30 August 1942, shopkeeper Victor Altschul was arrested by the Sicherheitspolizei, while he has moved without permission. Mid September, the Altschul family the was carried off from Rotterdam to Westerbork, where it arrived 17 September and deported to Auschwitz on 28 September. On arrival there on 1 October 1942, they were all immediately killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Rosa Kraun, Meijer Kraun and Victor Altschul; website Open Archieven.nl, wedding certificate 222 made out in Amsterdam dated 2 May 1928 for Victor Altschul and Rosa Kraun; Website volkstelling.nl (Census)/1920; website Joodserfgoed Rotterdam/Zwart Janstraat en Bergsesingel; Joodsamsterdam.nl/Manegestraat; certificate of death made out in Rotterdam for Sara and Cictor Altschul, nr. 3279 and 3280 dated 21 Dec 1940 and nr. 3295 of 21 Dec 1950 for Rosa Kraun and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Victor Altschul and Rosa Altschul-Kraun.