Petronella Rebekka (Nelly) Davidson was the daughter of Mozes Davidson (1899-1944) and Betje Frank (1906-1943). They were a buyer and a geriatric nurse respectively.^[1]  

Nelly grew up in a Jewish family in Amsterdam. She attended the Vereniging Kennis en Godsvrucht (Knowledge and Godliness Association), a Jewish nursery school. On 29 June 1933, she was enrolled at Preparatory School No. 51, the kindergarten of the Sixth Montessori School. She moved up to the first year of the Sixth Montessori School in September 1934.^[2] During the school years 1937-'38 and 1938-'39, Nelly was a classmate of Anne Frank in Class B.^[3] There is a photo of Nelly, taken by John (Lion) Blits in 1938 at school.^[4] In a class photo from 1938, she is sitting in the front row, in the middle.^[5]

Nelly wrote in classmate Juultje Ketellapper's poetry album. She wrote (translated from Dutch):

"Dear Juultje,
I wish you more blessings than rain,
I wish you more joy than sorrow,
I wish you more guilders than cents,
Better a prize than a nothing,
I wish you more friends than haters,
Much more health than pain,
I wish you more kisses than slaps,
And furthermore, whatever may be good for you.

Your friend,
Nelly Davidson.''

This text was accompanied by a picture of an airplane and flowers, and the words "Never forget me."^[6] Nelly did not include a date, but on the page before Nelly's, the date was written 12 July 1939, and on the page after Nelly's, the date was written 19 September 1939. It is therefore plausible that Nelly wrote in Juultje Ketellapper's album during the period between these dates.

On 15 July 1939, Nelly left the Sixth Montessori School and moved to the Vondel School.^[7]

Concentration camps

Nelly arrived at the Westerbork transit camp with her parents on 23 September 1943. There they were placed in barrack 67, the so-called Punishment Barrack, where people who had been arrested whilst in hiding were usually held. The Davidson family may also have been in hiding prior to their arrest. On 16 November 1943, the family was deported to Auschwitz.^[8]

According to her registration in the Amsterdam City Archives and Yad Vashem, Nelly died in the vicinity of Auschwitz on 19 November 1943. According to eyewitnesses, only a handful of women from the transport that brought Nelly Davidson to Auschwitz survived the selection upon arrival. Nelly was only 15 years old at the time, which made her too young to be selected for forced labour. According to other eyewitnesses, no women from Nelly's transport were selected for forced labour at all. It is therefore plausible that she and her mother were gassed upon arrival. Her father may have been selected for forced labour, but his exact fate is uncertain. He died no later than 31 March 1944.^[9]

Source personal data.^[10] Addresses: Amsterdam: St. Antoniesbreestraat 24-I;^[11] Jekerstraat 53-I (21 November 1933);^[12] Noorder Amstellaan 61-I (14 October 1938).^[10]