Biography

About Simon van Santen and his wife Jansje Gompers.

Jansje Gompers was a daughter of Abraham Samuel Gompers and Wilhelmina Consenheim. She was born 28 Novembe 1893 in Amsterdam as third of seven children in this family. On 29 June 1916 she married the 10-year older Simon van Santen, who was born 19 January 1884 in Amsterdam as son of Isaac van Santen and Susanna Sigaar. The couple had a son named Jacques on 15 November 1918. He has survived the Holocaust.

Simon van Santen was a commercial traveller. After his wedding in 1916 he moved with his newly wed wife in a house in the Van Woustraat 144, where also their son was born. In 1921 the family moved to Karel du Jardinstraat 24 and in December 1922 to the Sarphatiepark 34. After another six relocations, they came living per 3 June 1936 at Beethovenstraat 13 1st floor in Amsterdam. This became also their last known address in town.

Simon van Santen and his wife Jansje Gompers were already deported from Westerbork to Auschwitz on 10 August 1942. Jansje was 48 and Simon 58 years of age. On arrival there on 13 August, It might have been possible that both were deployed as forced labourers but it is not known on which date exact they have lost their lives there. Therefore, after the was, the Dutch Mininstry of Justice ordered the City of Amsterdam to draw up certificates of death for Simon van Santen and Jansje van Santen-Gompers, in which has been established that they both have died on 30 September 1942 in Auschwitz.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Simon van Santen, archive cards of  Simon van Santen, Jansje Gompers and Jacques van Santen; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Simon van Santen, Jansje van Santen-Gompers and Jacques van Santen and the Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl.

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