Stumbling stone Veenbergplein 8

These memorial stones (so called Stolpersteine of stumbling blocks) commemorate:

Matthijs A. Cohen (born 1904, deported 1944 from Westerbork, murdered 28-2-1945 Midden Europa)
Rosetta A. Cohen-Reimer (born 1899, deported 1944 from Westerbork, murdered 7-7-194x Auschwitz)
Gretha Cohen (born 1930. deported 1944 from Westerbork, murdered 7-7-1944 Auschwitz)
Paula A. Cohen (born 1933, deported 1944 from Westerbork, murdered 7-7-1944 Auschwitz)

The small copper plaques, in the pavement in front of houses of which the (mostly Jewish) residents were murdered by the Nazis, mention the name, date of birth and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death.

In many other cities, mainly in Germany but also in other European countries, the memorials also can be found. There are already many thousands of these plaques and their number is still counting. Almost all Stolpersteine are laid by the German artist himself, Gunter Demnig.

MATTHIJS A COHEN
October 22nd, 1904 (Amsterdam) - February 28th, 1945 (Central Europe)
VEENBERGPLEIN 8
Matthijs (Thijs) à Cohen worked as an office clerk and later as a bookkeeper. He married Rosetta Reimer on 8 May 1929 in Amsterdam. They had two daughters together. In July 1934 they moved from Amsterdam to Haarlem.
Matthijs applied to the Generalkommissar für Verwaltung und Justiz in an attempt to prove that he was not Jewish. He also applied for his parents. The German civil servant Hans Georg Calmeyer handled these applications. Many people tried to avoid deportation in this way and ended up on the 'List Calmeyer'. Matthijs' mother, Grietje Vigevano, probably escaped deportation in this way. Although Matthijs's father, Mozes, was also on the Calmeyer List, he was nevertheless deported and murdered at the same time as his son's family. As for Matthijs himself: his application was processed on July 27, 1942. It is not known whether it was treated too late or was found to be negative.
Transport from Westerbork to Theresienstadt 25-2-1944.
Murdered in Central Europe during the death march 28-2-1945.
He turned 40 years old.

ROSETTA À COHEN-REIMER
August 28, 1899 (Amsterdam) - July 7, 1944 (Auschwitz)
VEENBERGPLEIN 8
Rosetta Reimer came from a large Amsterdam family: she had two brothers and seven sisters, two of whom died shortly after birth. Her brother Aaron married a sister of her husband Matthijs. There is still a film on which the families can be seen on New Year's Eve 1939. In 1939, her youngest brother David came to live with the family. He survived the war.
When Rosetta got married, she worked in an office like her husband.
Transport from Westerbork to Theresienstadt 25-2-1944
Murdered in Auschwitz 7-7-1944
She was 44 years old

GRETHA A COHEN
March 28, 1930 (Amsterdam) - July 7, 1944 (Auschwitz)
VEENBERGPLEIN 8
Transport from Westerbork to Theresienstadt 25-2-1944.
Murdered in Auschwitz 7-7-1944.
She was 14 years old.

PAULA A COHEN
April 22, 1933 (Amsterdam) - July 7, 1944 (Auschwitz)
VEENBERGPLEIN 8
Transport from Westerbork to Theresienstadt 25-2-1944
Murdered in Auschwitz 7-7-1944
She was 11 years old