Israël Knorringa came from a family of butchers in Uithuizen, in the province of Groningen. He was seen as the ‘black sheep’ of the family. He opened a butcher shop in Assen, but it went bankrupt. In 1907 he moved to Amsterdam with his wife and three children. After a string of failed businesses, he became a shomer (inspector of ritual slaughter) for the Jewish community. His family was very devout and lived on the Nieuwe Prinsengracht. After the death of his wife he frequently moved from one address to another. In 1941 he drowned in front of his eldest child’s house.
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In December 1941, an obituary was placed in Het Joodsche Weekblad for Israel Knorringa.
Het Joodsche Weekblad, 12 December 1941, 10