Georg Zimmern

Georg (George) Zimmern was a son of Moses (Moritz) Benjamin Zimmern (1885-1944) and Rachel Swirsky (1898-1964).^[1] He had an older sister, Emma.^[2] His father was a timber merchant and was from Bruchsal in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.^[3] His mother was from Vilnius, Lithuania.^[4] Georg's parents had married there on 23 February 1919, but had settled in Arnhem, Netherlands, where their two children, Emma (1922) and Georg (1924), were born. The family moved to Amsterdam in January 1927.^[5]

Georg was a student at the Amsterdam Lyceum,^[6] but because Jewish students and teachers were banned from attending regular schools from 1 September 1941, he had to attend the Jewish Lyceum. He entered class 4B2, which also included Margot Frank.^[7] An assessment by his teachers, dated 3 February 1942, shows that he was a mediocre pupil.^[8]

His card in the Jewish Council's card index shows that he worked as messenger and typist for the Jewish Council and for the Estafettedienst.^[9] This was a department of the Jewish Council that performed all kinds of odd jobs, such as courier services. It consisted mainly of young people.

Georg was rounded up in early July 1943 and taken to Westerbork. There he saw his parents again, who had been imprisoned there since October 1942.^[10] They were put on transport to Theresienstadt on 4 September 1944. From there, Georg was deported to Auschwitz on 29 September 1944. He then ended up in Gleiwitz, an outer camp of Auschwitz, where he died of dysentery in November 1944, according to witnesses.^[9] Georg's father was put on a transport from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz on 16 October 1944, where he was murdered. His mother survived Theresienstadt.^[10] His sister Emma managed to survive the war by going into hiding in Leeuwarden.^[11]

Source personal data.^[1] Addresses: Rosendaalsestraat 191, Arnhem;^[5] De Lairessestraat 168hs, Amsterdam (januari 1927).^[1]