Biography

The fate of Rachel Vles-Knoop.

Rachel Knoop, born 3 September 1885 in Amsterdam, was a daughter of Salomon Knoop and Ribca Lopes Cardozo. She married 29 February 1928 the widower of Helena Franken, Alexander Vles, who was born 24 September 1882 in Zutphen as son of Levie Joseph Vles and Sara Snoek.

From the first wedlock of Alexander Vles and Helena Franken two children were born:  a daughter Helena was born in 1915, who married later in 1937 Roelof van Zijl and they both have survived the Holocaust. And in 1920 a son Alexander was born, who survived the Holocaust too. From the second marriage of Alexander Vles to Rachel Knoop, no offspring is known.

Since 30 August 1929, Rachel Knoop, her husband Alexander Vles and her stepchildren lived at Heimansweg 21 parterre in Amsterdam-North, but in March 1939, the family moved to Nieuwe Bussumerweg 108 in Huizen. There Alexander Vles passed away at the age of 58 on 19 July 1941. On 22 December 1942, Rachel and her stepson had to move obligatory to Amsterdam, where they came living at Ringdijk 81 parterre in Amsterdam-East.

Rachel and her stepson Alexander were gone into hiding, whereby at some point Rachel Knoop was arrested and on 9 October 1943 in Westerbork was locked in in the penal barrack 67. Her sister Esther was there too. On 19 October they were put on transport to Auschwitz, where on arrival there on 22 October 1942 Rachel Vles-Knoop and Esther Knoop were inmmediately murdered.

Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Alexander Vles, archive card of Rachel Knoop; website wiewaswie.nl/wedding Vles-Franken and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Alexander Vles (1882), Alexander Vles (1920), Rachel Vles-Knoop and Esther Knoop.

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