Philip Gans

Philip Gans was the son and eldest of two children of Pinehas (Piet) Gans (1895-1945) and Mathilda Bremer (1893-1944).^[1] He had a sister who was seven years younger, Branca Sophia (1931-1944).^[2] His father owned a printing business and bookshop. In addition to his business, Pinehas was active for several years in Rechouwous, the Jewish Association for the Indische Buurt (Indies Neighbourhood) in Amsterdam.^[3] According to his card from the Jewish Council's card catalogue, he was a board member of the Nederlands-Israëlietische Hoofdsynagoge (Dutch-Israeli Main Synagogue), the Ashkenazi Orthodox Jewish community of Amsterdam.^[4]

Philip was a student at the HBS secondary school at Mauritskade 58 in Amsterdam.^[5] As Jewish students and teachers were banned from attending regular schools from 1 September 1941, Philip had to go to the Jewish Lyceum in Amsterdam. He was in class 4B2, which also included Margot Frank.^[6] He sang in a choir, but it is not known which choir. He may have sung in the “Knapenkoor” (boys' choir) of the Linnaeusstraat Synagogue.^[7]

Philip's mother was an employee of the inspection committee for children in foster homes.^[8] It is not known when she started this job, but during the war Mathilda received a Sperre for her work: a temporary exemption from deportation.^[9] From May 1942, Max Rechtschaffen (1925-1943) lived with the Gans family as a foster child. He was two years younger than Philip, and there is a photo of them together.^[10] After Kristallnacht, the infamous pogrom of November 1938, Max fled Germany to the Netherlands with his younger brother Meinhardt (1927-1943). Their parents were unable to flee with them. The two brothers stayed in various refugee camps and orphanages in Soest and Amsterdam, among other places, before being placed in foster families. Meinhardt lived with Philip's uncle, Abraham Bremer, from October 1939.^[11] In October 1942, he came to live with Philip's mother as well.^[12]

​Philip had been arrested a month and a half earlier, on 28 August 1942.^[13] He was sent to the De Bruine Enk labour camp in Nunspeet.^[3] His father, who had been arrested on 11 August, was interned at the Gijsselte labour camp.^[14] They were eventually transferred to Westerbork in early October and from there transported to Auschwitz on 2 November 1942. The train stopped on the way in Koźle (German: Kosel or Cosel), about eighty kilometres before Auschwitz. Men between the ages of 15 and 55 were taken off the train and put to work in camps in the area. Probably in April 1944, Pinehas and Philip were transferred to Blechhammer, a subcamp of Auschwitz.^[15] With Soviet troops approaching, the camp was evacuated in mid-January 1945. The prisoners were forced to walk to Gross Rosen, about 280 kilometres west of Blechhammer. Philip and his father probably died during this so-called death march between 21 January and 7 February 1945.^[3] Because an exact date is unknown, it was recorded after the war that they died in Gross Rosen on 7 February 1945.^[16]

Philips' mother Mathilda and sister Branca remained partly in hiding in their own home until they were betrayed at the end of March 1944 by the man who came to check on the gas meter.^[3] They were arrested and arrived in Westerbork on 1 April 1944. On 5 April 1944 they were deported to Auschwitz,^[9] where they were murdered immediately upon arrival on 8 April 1944.^[17] Max and Meinhardt Rechtschaffen were arrested a year earlier in May 1943 and deported on the thirteenth transport to Sobibor,^[18] where they were murdered immediately upon arrival on 28 May 1943.^[19]

Source personal data.^[1] Address: Kramatweg 28hs.^[1]