Biography

About Leonard Sigismund Gompen

Leonard Sigismund (Leo) Gompen was one of the five children of Gustaaf Sigismund Gompen and Florence Henrica Coopman. He was a founder and employee of Koninklijke Chroomlederfabriek 'De Amstel' (a chrome leather factory, previously known as L.S. Gompen). The factory was established in Waalwijk. During the war six staff members there, including some of the owners, were taken away and murdered. After the war, a plaque commemorating these six staff members was placed at the entrance to the main factory building. Years later, when the building was demolished, the plaque came into private ownership.
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Leo Gompen had a Sperre. The card issued to him by the Jewish Council during his stay at Westerbork shows that he was on the boards of various Jewish organizations for the public welfare. The card also included an annotation to the effect that Leo Gompen was liberal. These board memberships were not the only reason he received a Sperre, however. He also had the so-called Puttkamer stamp, which cost a great deal. Generally speaking, a Sperre could do no more than delay deportation, and this was true in Leo Gompen’s case.
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See for the history of leather factory "De Amstel" of the Gompen family: S. ter Braake and P. van Trigt, Leerhandelaar, looier, lederfabrikant. Het succes van Joodse ondernemers in de Nederlandse lederindustrie (1870-1940) Menasseh ben Israel Studies III (Amsterdam 2010) 62-69.

In addition, a Jokos file (number 5764) on this person is at the Amsterdam Municipal Archive. Access is subject to authorization from the Stichting Joods Maatschappelijk Werk.The Jokos file reveals that a claim was lodged for compensation for valuables surrendered to the Lippmann-Rosenthal looting bank (L-claim, number 4159 / 11794).