Biography

About Levie Dingsdag and his brother Salomon Alexander Dingsdag.

Levie was the eldest son of Abraham Dingsdag and Aaltje de Beer and Salomon Alexander the youngest; Levie was born on 19 March 1921 and Salomon Alexander on 2 May 1926. Apparently they were summoned on 16 July 1942 for the so-called Arbeitseinsatz; Levie just had celebrated his 21st birthday and his brother Salomon was 16 years old. Levie was employed as office clerk and Salomon Alexander was an apprentice tailor. Together with their parents and brother Daniel they lived in the Retiefstraat 99 2nd floor in Amsterdam-East.

On 17 July 1942, when Levie and Salomon Alexander had responded to the call for the so-called Arbeitseinsatz,  they were registered in Westerbork and were put on transport to Auschwitz on 21 July in a transport of 931 persons. On arrival in Auschwitz, ±23/24 July, Levie and Salomon were put to work as forced labourers. The conditions were tough and completely different from what they had imagined.

The 16-year old Salomon Alexander Dingsdag was the first of the two brothers to become victims of hardship and the harsh conditions under which they had to “work”. The 1st of September 1942 was fatal for him; according to the “Sterbebücher” – the death records of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Salomon Alexander was murdered that day.

After the war, when the above mentioned was still unknown, the Dutch Authorities have established – also based on testimonies of survivors and research – that Salomon Alexander Dingsdag no longer could be alive after 30 September 1942. Then the Municipality of Amsterdam was commissioned to draw up an official certificate of death for hem, in which was established that he died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.

Also his elder brother Levie Dingsdag fell victim to the harsh conditions Auschwitz but his exact date of death is unknown. After the war the Dutch Authorities have established – just as for Salomon Alexander – that Levie Dingsdag no longer could be alive after 30 September 1942. The Municipality of Amsterdam has drawed up an official certificate of death for him, in which was established too that Levie Dingsdag has died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Levie Dingsdag and Salomon Alexander Dingsdag; Certificates of death made out in Amsterdam, no.493 dated 20 July 1950 for Salomon Alexander Dingsdag, from the A-register 42-folio 84verso and for Levie Dingsdag no.491 from the A-regiser 42-folio 84verso dated 20 July 1950 and the Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl.

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