Jacob van Dijk, born in Amsterdam in 1895, was the eldest of seven children. His father, Aron van Dijk, co-directed the department store "Grand Bazar de la Paix" in The Hague, known for its publicity stunts. Jacob married Christina Gerritse in 1920, and they lived in Amsterdam with their two daughters, Marie and Nanny. In 1942, Nanny became engaged to Norbert van der Sluis, who was later murdered in Sobibor in 1943. During a raid on June 20, 1943, the Van Dijk family was arrested and sent to Westerbork, later deported to Sobibor and Auschwitz, where they were killed. Jacob's siblings did not survive the war, but some of their children and Christina's brothers, Machiel and Abraham Gerritse, did.
