Biography

About Carla de Leeuw

Carla de Leeuw was the daughter of Salomon de Leeuw and Vogeltje van de Rhoer. She was a member of the MKC korfball club in Meppel, where she met Willem Kel, a non-Jew. The two of them began a relationship, and in time they became engaged. In June 1942, Carla de Leeuw moved to Amsterdam, where she moved in with relatives. She was able to work in Amsterdam, not having managed to find a job in Meppel. Her fiancé Willem Kel visited her in Amsterdam every weekend, staying with his sister, who lived there too.
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Willem Kel (b. 1919) was a market vendor. He sometimes wore a Star of David out of love for Carla and solidarity with her. He visited Carla regularly on his bicycle after she was forced to live in Westerbork transit camp. When she heard that she would be transported the next day, Willem sent his bicycle back to Meppel and joined her. Carla and Willem were murdered in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.
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This person is commemorated on a memorial in Meppel. More information on this memorial can be found (in Dutch) on the website of the Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei.