Emanuel Zanten was the son of a diamond cutter in Amsterdam. In 1920, he got married to Helena Hertz, daughter of a kosher butcher at the Markenplein in Amsterdam. The couple had two children. Jacob Hans (nickname Jaap) was killed in Buchenwald. The other child survived the war.
Emanuel Zanten trained to become an electro-technician at the HTS. His first assignment was to install lighting in the synagogue at the Jonas Daniel Meyerplein.
Mr and Mrs Zanten lived at 103 Weesperstraat in Amsterdam. Emanuel Zanten set up a shop at that address for radio components. He became the Dutch distributor for a French company. He often travelled to France, even by plane. Furthermore, Emanuel Zanten had the sole distributorship of radio lamps made by Splendor, a competitor of Philips. In the late twenties, Philips succeeded in taking over Splendor, which meant Emanuel Zanten lost his sole distributorship.
In the thirties, with the rise of the motorcar, Emanuel Zanten focused on the import of car parts and tools from France. The family moved to 33 Muiderstraat in Amsterdam. This house was larger, with more room for stock. The business expanded. The company remained based in the Muiderstraat but the family first moved to 7 Ruyschstraat and later to 87 Zuider Amstellaan.
On 14 May 1940, the family Zanten attempted unsuccessfully to escape to England. They relinquished the house at the Zuider Amstellaan and returned to live in the Muiderstraat. In July 1942, Emanuel Zanten and his wife received a request to report to the Hollandsche Schouwburg. The day before they were due to report, they met mr Manukovski, administrator of the Jewish hospital in the Keizersgracht. Through him, he obtained a job as head of the technical department in the hospital, which earned him and his family a temporary reprieve from deportation.
In early March 1943, the reprieve ran out. The family members had to report to the Hollandsche Schouwburg. The parents regained their temporary reprieve but their children ended up in Vught concentration camp.
Addition of a visitor of the website
In addition, a Jokos file (number 266) on this family is at the Amsterdam Municipal Archive. Access is subject to authorization from the Stichting Joods Maatschappelijk Werk.The Jokos file reveals that a claim was lodged for compensation for looted securities or bonds. (W-claim, number 13434/9919).
According to a list with shops of Jewish owners, compiled by the Amsterdam police in 1940, this family had a shop for car parts, address: Muiderstraat 33 in Amsterdam.
Abstracts of the police archives which are currently at the Amsterdam municipal archives