Emanuel van West was the eldest of the three children of Joseph van West and Gracia Rodrigues Pereira. He was born on 13 March 1907 in Amsterdam and was usually called Willem. He was employed as window dresser in the fashion shop of Maison de Vries in the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam.
Willem married on…
A direct consequence of the German measures to isolate the Jewish population from the rest of society was that the Jewish community could no longer make use of non-Jewish services and suppliers.
Jewish tradespeople such as bakers, hairdressers, butchers, fishmongers, grocers, etc. received a special…
The BJZ was a welcome distraction from everyday concerns for Jewish children. The BJZ tried to create a relaxed atmosphere in the few available and barely usable locations. Jewish youth leaders engaged the children in activities such as manual labor, music, folk dancing, and Jewish history. A lot wa…