Biography

The death of Jacob Elzas

Jacob Elzas was a son of Alfred Elzas and Selina Lopes de Leao Laguna, born in Amsterdam on 23 May 1923. He was unmarried and lived with his parents at Scheldestraat 106 3rd stock in Amsterdam.

At some point in early 1942, Jacob Elzas was called up and put to work in one of the Jewish Labor camps in the East and North of the Netherlands, but it is not known where he ended up. When all labour camps were closed down on 3 October 1942 on orders of the Germans, all forced labourers were carried off to Westerbork, among them also Jacob Elzas.

Only 23 March 1944, Jacob Elzas was put on transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz. He then was nearly 21 year of age and no doubt he has been selected as forced labourer in Auschwitz of in some other satellite camp. His certificate of death, nr. 57, year 1949 in register 3, folio 14, shows that it was established by order of the District Court of Amsterdam, that Jacob Elzas died in or around 23 March 1945 in Germany.

However, after the war mr. I de Leeuw from the Christian de Wetstraat 10 in Amsterdam, has witnessed for several victims of the Shoah, that they have perished in the concentration camp Hannover-Mühlenberg or have been shot death by the SS. On the website of this camp, a list with names of victims from before the evacuation of the camp is published and a list with names of the Dutch victims of the massmurder.

The list with names of the victims from before the eviction of the camp, on 6 April 1945,  the name of Jacob Elzas also appears. This means that when the Red Army was approaching , he eventually ended up with the so-called evacuation transports from Auschwitz in the Hannover-Mühlenberg concentration camp and perhaps still was employed in the Extern Kommando Mühlenberg. It seems clear that on the date, which is also mentioned in his death certificate, Jacob Elzas died in concentration camp Hannover Mühlenberg on 23 March 1945.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Jacob Elzas; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Jacob Elzas; death certificate nr. 57, 1949-register3-fol.14v for A: Alfres Elzas, his wife Selina Elzas Lopes de Leao Laguna and B: for Jacob Elzas and the website Concentration camp Hannover Mühlenberg. (only Dutch language).

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