Trompetter family papers

Morris Trompetter worked as a diamond cutter in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He married Femma Worms, and had two children; Marianne in 1935 and Sylvia in 1940. The family lived in a Jewish neighborhood but were not observant. In 1940, the Netherlands were invaded by the Nazis, and for the next three years, the Trompetters were allowed to continue to live in their own apartment. During this time Femma assisted the Dutch resistance and was given the false identity, Else Jansen. In 1943, Morris was arrested by the Dutch police and sent to the s'Hertogenbosch transit camp. Eleven months later, Morris was deported to Auschwitz, where he was sent to work in the IG Farben plant in the Monowitz subcamp. Due to his fluency in English, Morris also served as a translator for prisoners of war who were held there. Towards the end of the war, Morris was sent on a death march to Ebensee, but was liberated by U.S. forces. Meanwhile, shortly after Morris’ arrest in Amsterdam, Femma, Marianne, and Sylvia were arrested and placed in a theatre named the Hollandsche Schouwburg, which was being used as a holding facility for Jews. During their stay, Marianne contracted scarlet fever and was sent to the hospital. Sylvia and Femma were allowed to remain in the theatre. One day, the Dutch police raided the hospital, but Marianne evaded them and escaped from the building. She traveled to her grandmother’s house, who put her under the care of Joop Woortman, whose NV (Naamlose Vennootschap) network, helped find families to care for and hide Jewish children. He also helped Femma and Sylvia to find homes as well. Marianne, Sylvia, and Femma all stayed in separate homes until the war ended. They eventually all reunited, along with Morris. Most of Morris’ and Femma’s family perished in the Holocaust. The family immigrated to the United States in 1949, and Morris resumed his work as a diamond cutter.