Arnold Wallinski, usually named Nol, was a teacher by trade and the son of Isaac Houtkruijer and Keetje Fransman. 17 December 1941 he married Mirjam Wallinski in Amsterdam, a daughter of Max Wallinski from Kiev and Raatje Waterman from Amsterdam. Arnold and Mirjam had no children.
Arnold had another brother Max and a sister Henriette. Arnold self, his siblings and his parents too were killed in the Shoah. His wife Mirjam was born into a family of four children, of whom the eldest, Chaja, has survived the Holocaust. Mirjam’s sister Rebecca passed away in 1939, aged just 13 and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen. Her youngest sister Sara, as also her parents, were killed in the Shoah.
Arnold and his parents lived at Kromme Mijdrechtstraat 104 II in Amsterdam and Mirjam’s parental address was IJsselstraat 2 II. Afther their marriage Arnold and Mirjam found living space at Rijstraat 87 Ist floor. However, October 1942 Arnold was registered again at Kromme Mijdrechtstraat 104 II, with his parents. (apparently to assist his sick parents). His wife remained at Rijnstraat till January 1943. Then they moved to Transvaalstraat 91 II and per 20 May 1943 her address became Waalstraat 97 II in Amsterdam.
According information from his registration card of the Jewish Council, Arnold Houtkruijer was “acting headmaster at the school at Sparrenweg 11 in Amsterdam”(¹). Per 13 July 1942, Arnold was employed for the Jewish Council and had a “Sperre (exempted from deportation until further notic) because of function”. Also his wife Mirjam was exempted from deportation “bis auf weiteres”, because of function of her husband.
According registration cards from the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, Arnold and Mirjam both received a call for the “Arbeitseinsatz” (call 533/15 and 533/16). It is however vague whether they have obeyed to it or not. The registration card of Arnold has a note from 25 February 1943 that “he was arrested together with his parents, who had a postponement because of illness. Is teacher and acting headmaster of the Sparrenweg-school. Sperr stamp 84285. Expo has informed that he would be released. Presumably by mistake sent to Westerbork. And another note from 4 March 1943 reads that he was not present in Camp Westerbork and that he never has been there.” ( Later it appeared, that Arnold was sent to concentration camp Vught).
It looks like that Arnold Houtkruijer and his wife Mirjam haven’t responded to the call for “Arbeitseinsatz”. It seems certain, that Arnold was arrested in the first months of 1943 and ended up in the prison at Amstelveenseweg in Amsterdam. From there, he has been deported to concentration camp Vught (²). 9 May 1943 he was transferred from Vught to Westerbork where he had to stay in barack 57. 18 May Arnold Houtkruijer was put on transport to Sobibor, where he has been killed immediately upon arrival there 21 June 1943.
From 24 September 1942, his wife Mirjam Wallinski was exempted from deportation too, due to “function of spouse”. Her last known address was per 20 May 1943 Waalstraat 97 II in Amsterdam. By not obeying the call for “Arbeitseinsatz” , Mirjam Wallinski presumably has been arrested early 1944 and sent to Camp Westerbork 20 January 1944 as a “penal case”. There she was locked up in penalbarack 67, till she was put on transport as a “penal case” to Auschwitz. Upon arrival there, 28 January 1944 she was immediately killed.
Sources: City archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Arnold Houtkruijer, Isaac Houtkruijer, Mirjam Wallinski, Max Wallinski and Raatje Waterman; the file cabinet of the Jewisch Council, registration cards of Arnold Houtkruijer, Isaac Houtkruijer, Mirjam Wallinksi, Max Wallinski en Raatje Waterman.
Other sources:
(¹): From “Geheugen van Oost” (Memory of Eastern Amsterdam),: https://geheugenvanoost.amsterdam/page/47115/louise-de-colignyschool: Under German occupation, Jewish children were no longer allowed in school classes with other children. Among schools and schoolteachers, great removals have taken place. Class mates and friends were not allowed being together in the same class. Various schools were merged. At Sparrenweg 11, Camper-school and Vrolik-school ended up in the building at Sparrenweg.
(²): About Camp Vught from http://www.nmkampvught.nl/historische-informatie/: In 1942 the building of concentration camp Vught started, “Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch” as the official name was. When the first starved and overworked prisoners from Camp Amersfoort arrived in January 1943, the camp was not ready. The prisoners were forced to finish the construction. The miserable circumstances in the first months caused the loss of lives of hundreds of people. Between January 1943 and September 1944, about 32.000 people in total were locked up as prisoner for a longer of shorter period in this concentration camp. Except 12.000 Jews, in Vught were detained political prisoners, resistance men, Sinti and Roma (gypsies), witnesses of Jehova, tramps, black marketeers, criminals and hostages.