Louis van Praag, born 8 June 1891 in Zaandam, was a son of Zacharias van Praag and Schoontje Geleerd. Besides being a pastrry cook, he was also a diamond polischer. Louis was born into a family with six children, namely he himself, Evalina, David, Betje, Henri and Levie. All were killed in the Shoah, also their parents.
Louis van Praag married 13 May 1914 in Amsterdam Rachel Polak, a daughter of Lezer Joël Polak and Emalia Drukker. They had two daughters, Esther and Suze. Remarkable was that on that 13th of May a double marriage was performed: except Louis, also his brother Levie van Praag married then with Sabiena Cohen.
After their wedding in 1914, Louis and Rachel lived at Madurostraat 4 3rd floor in Amsterdam. They moved 23 May 1921 to De Wittenkade in the Statesmen district in Amsterdam and on 5 November 1929 toe the Rietwijkerstaat 23 1st stock. 5 February 1930, the family moved to Rotterdam where they lived at Nieuwe Binnenweg 65a, at Essenburgersingel 1b and at Van der Poelstraat 46a. On 27 February 1940, the family returned to Amsterdam and went living at Blasiusstraat 37 1st floor.
The family had no exemption from deportation. Still Louis van Praag worked since 15 February 1942 as administrator at the department of distribution of vegetables, until he and his wife and daughters and son-in-law were carried off 9 April 1943 to Westerbork where all had to stay in barrack 68. His daughters Esther and Suze, as well his son-in-law Jacob Mozes Rood were already deported 20 April to Sobibor, where they have been killed on arrival there on 23 April 1943.
Three weeks later, Louis van Praag and his wife Rachel Polak were put on transport to Sobibor too, and on arrival there on 14 May 1943 also immediately killed.
City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card and archive card of Louis van Praag, archive card of Rachel Polak; City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Louis van Praag; website wiewaswie.nl and the file cabinet of the Jewisch Council, registration cards of Louis van Praag and Rachel van Praag-Polak.