Oosterstraat 85

At the age of twenty-three, Saartje Zeehandelaar married Abraham Slager born in 1872 in Steenwijk. They moved to Gasthuisstraat and started a drapery shop there. They had three children, the eldest of whom David, born in 1909, did not live to age four. Johan was born in 1916 and Aron in 1919. Shortly after the birth of Aron, they established their drapery shop in Oosterstraat. Abraham Butcher died in 1933. Johan was 17 at the time and Aron was 14. In that year, Johan obtained his HBS-B diploma with honors. Johan had to help in the store, although his interest was elsewhere. They were very interested in physics, chemistry and philosophy. Aron quit HBS after his father passed away and went to help in the store. Both boys were very musical; Johan played the piano beautifully, according to his daughter Sarah Katznelson-Slager, Aron played the violin and they played a lot together.

In July 1942, a flight to Switzerland was planned with the family of Lies, Johan's pregnant wife. They probably stranded in Belgium due to treason. They were arrested by German soldiers. Saartje had taken cyanali to prevent her from being imprisoned: "They will not get hold of me alive." She died in an Antwerp hospital, aged 57.

Aron and his brother were interned, first in Fort Breendonk and later in Camp Dossin in Mechelen. From there, on September 1, one day after Johan's wife gave birth to a daughter, they were taken on the train east. At Kosel (80 km west of Auschwitz) the men who were still able to work were taken off the train. They had to work on the construction of the Autobahn. As long as the men could work, they survived. Johan died on December 23, 1942. There is no official date of death of Aron. That is why the Ministry of Justice uses December 31, 1943 as the date of death. Aron was not more than 24 years old.

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