Sanson, Bernard Leo

Date of birth:: December 5th, 1914 (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Date of death:: November 30th, 1942 (Leusden, the Netherlands)
Nationality:: Dutch

Biography

Bernard Leo Sanson lived at 74 Hoge Rijndijk in Leiden, the son of entrepeneur Emanuel Jacobus Sanson (July 29, 1880, Charlois, Rotterdam - † March 18, 1945) — paint factory Vereenigde Van der Burg's Japanlakfabrieken, bankrupt in the 30s — and Anna Henriette Catz (February 14, 1892 Rotterdam - † August 1, 1951 Rotterdam) pioneer of Dutch folk dance. Bernard was Dutch-Jewish and a student. At the Erasmus Gymnasium in Rotterdam he was editor and contributor of Tolle Lege, the monthly student's paper. He studied law at Leiden University. After a while he switched to the study of Semitic languages and Hebrew. Remco Reiding writes in de Amersfoortse Courant that he was 'well read, eloquent and erudite'. After the Jews were banned from universities in the course of 1942, he went into hiding. At a certain moment he suffered so much from tooth ache he went to see a dentist without his yellow badge but he was found out.
As late as November 1942, his parents learned he was imprisoned in Camp Amersfoort. Sanson, prison number 286, sent them a letter asking for a new pair of glasses. His mother responded: 'You will know and feel we think of and talk about you continuously, hoping you'll be strong and well'. One week later, the letter to Häftling (prisoner) Sanson was returned with the remark Gestorben (passed away). On November 30, 1942, he had lost his life by hanging outside the camp.
Sanson was buried in the Dutch-Israelic cemetry in Amersfoort. It it unknown however where exactly his remains have been buried.

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Sources

- OGS Gedenkboek 36 - Amersfoort, Vught, Westerbork, Oorlogsgravenstichting.
- Bernard Leo Sanson
- Bernard Leo Sanson
- Geboorte Bernard Leo Sanson op 5 december 1914 te Rotterdam » Open Archieven
- Sanson, Bernard - Leiden4045.nl
- In Memoriam 1940-1945
- Further: Remco Reiding, Opgehangen in het kamp, AD Amersfoortse Courant, 30 november 2017, site ad.nl; J.E. Vleeschhouwer, In Memoriam Bernd Sanson (5-XII-30-XI-1942), Nationaal Monument Kamp Amersfoort, (voorlopige) lijst In Memoriam; site wiewaswie.nl (waaronder overlijdensakte 37/1943 gemeente Leusden), NMKA.