Robert “Rob” Brand was born on 31 March 1926 in Vienna, Austria, the only child of Zygmunt (Sigmund) Brand and Margarete “Grete” Schuh. The family moved to the Netherlands in the 1920s and eventually lived above their women’s fashion shop Wiener Mode at Wagenweg 44 in Haarlem; Sigmund specialised in ladies’ clothing and the family became part of local life. Rob attended school in Haarlem, passing his HBS exam and later studying at the Jewish Lyceum after Jews were excluded from other schools. He was active in local sports and popular in the community.
In 1942, Rob and his father relocated to Amsterdam; however during a razzia in early August 1942 Rob was arrested. He was transported from Amsterdam to Westerbork on 10 August 1942, and two days later deported to Auschwitz. He was murdered there on 4 September 1942 at the age of 16 (some records list the latest possible date as 30 September 1942). After his arrest, his father went into hiding with the help of Dutch rescuers.
