Stumbling Stone Passage 8

Stolperstein / Stumbling Stone / Struikelsteen for:

* Leon Hijermans, born 1913, deported from Westerbork, murdered 2 April 1943, Sobibor.

Leon Heijermans (note variation in spelling) worked as a stamp and die manufacturer who lived alone above the business in the Passage at number 8. Little else is known about him other than that he was deported from Westerbork on 30 March 1943 on a train consisting of 25 wagons with 1255 Jews on board including 202 children. He was murdered 3 days later in Sobibor.

His parents were both murdered on 12 February 1943 in Auschwitz: Keetje Heyermans-Neter (b. 1870) and Ernest Heijermans (b. 1869).

One sister, Clara Sarah Neter-Heijermans, a dentist and her husband Adolf Neter, a retired civil servant, were killed 5 February 1943 in Auschwitz. Their son Albert Hans Neter (b. 1924) was murdered 3 months later in Auschwitz. Hans Neter is listed with other pupils on a memorial plaque at the Amsterdam Lyceum he attended on Valeriusplein 15.

Leon’s brother Albert (1907-1969) survived as did sister Sarah Clara (1901-1972).

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

Borne was the first town in the Netherlands in which Stolpersteine were placed -- on 29 November 2007.

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Source

• Text: Anne Palmer
• Photos: Ed Sijmons
• Joods Monument
• Stolpersteine Schiedam: Leon Heijermans
• Stolpersteine.eu