Stumbling Stones Leidsestraat 24

Stolpersteine Leidsestraat 24, Haarlem

On this location Stumbling Stones were laid for the Zurel family.

The small brass plaques of 10 by 10 cm, in the pavement in front of houses of which the (mostly Jewish) residents were persecuted and mostly murdered by the National-Socialists, mention the name, date of birth and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death.

In many other cities and villages, 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.

Martha Zurel is a child of Joachim Zurel and Rachel Matteman. Together they had four children, Benedictus (1925), Eliazar (1928), Abraham (1929) and Martha (1930). Rachel died on November 1, 1930, five days after the birth of their youngest daughter Martha. Martha was taken in by Joachim's sister Engeltje (Lien) Tierlier-Zurel in Zeist. On October 5, 1932, Joachim remarried in Haarlem to the widow Catharina de Vries, with whom he had another son in 1938, Joseph.
Martha did not survive the war. She was murdered in Auschwitz together with her aunt Lien and her nephews Edo (12 years old and Nico (7 years old). Martha was 12 years old.
Martha is also commemorated on a memorial in Zeist. A stone is placed for her at her father, brothers and half-brother in Leidsestraat.

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Source

• Text: Reini Elkerbout
• Photos: Dick de Bruijne (1), Piet Sebregts (2)