Moses Hemelrijk was a son of Jacob Barend Hemelrijk and Mala Sardiner. He was born in Winterswijk on 30 September 1865 but since 1893 Moses lived in Amsterdam. On 24 April 1895 he married Aaltje Groen in Den Helder, a daughter of Leendert Izaak Groen and Catharina Muller. Aaltje was born in Den Helder on 20 July 1860. The couple Hemelrijk-Groen had one daughter, Amalia, who was born in Amsterdam on 31 August 1897.
Moses and Aaltje and their daughter lived at a large number of different addresses in Amsterdam, such as at Nieuwe Kerkstraat, Weesperstraat, Kloveniersburgwal, Ruyschstraat, Andreas Bonnstraat, Amstelkade, Jan van der Heijdestraat, Zuider Amstellaan, Spinozastraat and per 3 January 1939 at Sarphatistraat 135, which appeared to be one of the many “lodgings” too. Amalia however left her “parental home” on 5 May 1931, when she got married to Isaac Buitenkant.
After the passing of his wife Aaltje on 10 January 1937, Moses Hemelrijk lived in for a few month with his son-in-law Isaac Buitenkant, the spouse of his daughter Amalia. His wife Aaltje Groen deceased at the age of 76 years in Amsterdam and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery at Muiderberg. But up from November 1938, Moses again relocated seven times to other “lodging places”.
On 19 October Moses Hemelrijk’s last known address became Nieuwe Prinsengracht 4 ground floor. There he was arrested on 13 April 1943 and carried off via the Hollandsche Schouwburg to Westerbork, where he had to await his deportation in barrack 57, which followed on 20 April 1943 to the extermination camp Sobibor. The transport contained 1166 deportees, of whom Moses and all other 1165 victims were murdered in the gas chambers there immediately upon arrival on 23 April 1943. Of this transport there were no survivors.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration cards of Moses Hemelrijk, archive cards of Moses Hemelrijk, Amalia Hemelrijk and Isaac Buitenkant; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Moses Hemelrijk; website stenenarchief.nl/grave Aaltje Groen and the Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl.