David Koker, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

David Koker

Dutch holocaust victim

Date of Birth: 27-Nov-1921

Place of Birth: Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

Date of Death: 23-Feb-1945

Profession: writer, translator, diarist

Nationality: Kingdom of the Netherlands

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

The Jewish student David Koker (27 November 1921 - 23 February 1945) lived with his family in Amsterdam until he was captured on the night of 11 February 1943 and transported to camp Vught. David was forced to halt his studies in Philosophy and History in September 1941 when the university ceased allowing Jews to study anymore.
The family did not go into hiding because they had received an exemption and believed they were safe.
Still, in 1943, they were captured and transported to Camp Vught on 11 February.
David spent some of his time teaching children at the camp.
In July, he received a “Sperre” (temporary exemption from deportation) from Frits Philips and joined his “Philips Commandos”.
In June 1944, the "Philips-Jews" were transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau from where they would be sent to other camps to work for electronic companies. David's mother and brother Max survived the war.
David, however, fell ill and died during a transport for ill people to the concentration camp in Dachau due in part to his illness as well as hypothermia in February 1945.
His father died of exhaustion in LangenBilau, a subcamp of Groß-Rosen. Koker had published in 1941 Modern-Hebreeuwse poëzie.
The booklet (87 pages) was a bilingual edition of Modern Hebrew Poetry with translations in Dutch.
Cotranslator was J.
Melkman, pseudonym of Jozeph Michman (1914-2009).
Publisher was Joachimsthal in Amsterdam.