David Koker
David Koker (27 November 1921 – 23 February 1945) was a Jewish student who lived with his family in Amsterdam, until they were captured at nighttime in February 1943, and transported to Camp Vught.
David Koker | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 November 1921 |
| Died | 23 February 1945 (aged 23) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Student |
| Known for | He wrote a diary during his stay at Camp Vught |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Max Koker (brother) |
Biography
David Koker was the child of Jesaia Koker and Judith Koker. He had a brother named Max. David was forced to drop out of university in September 1941, when the university forbidded Jews from studying there. His family recieved an exemption, thinking they were safe, and therefore they did not consider hiding from the Germans. Despite that, they were arrested and transported to Camp Vught in February 1943. David educated children there. In July 1943, David was temporarily saved from deportation by Frits Phillips, and joined his army. In June 1944, all of Phillips' army were deported to the Birkenau camp. From there, they would be deported to other camps to work for electronic companies.
David's mother Judith and brother Max survived World War II. Unfortunately, David died in February 1945 in Germany, during a transfer of ill people to the Dachau camp. His father too died of exhaustion in Groß-Rosen.
David published Modern-Hebreeuwze poëzie in 1941. The 87-paged small book, was a bilingual edition of modern Hebrew poetry, with translations in Dutch. Melkamn, a pseudonym of Jozeph Michman, who was born in 1914 and who died in 2009, helped David to translate the book. It was published by Joachimsthal in Amsterdam.
Diary
During his internment, David wrote a diary which was smuggled out of the prison. He wrote pieces at a time. The diary is considered complete. The first entry is written on 11 February 1943, and the last on 8 February 1944. In addition to writing about his day-to-day life, David also wrote poetry.
On 2 June 1944, whilst the family were being deported to Birkenau, David managed throw a letter from a train. Only a part of the letter is readable.
This is what the readable part of the letter read:
Nederlands: Lieve vrinden, we zijn nu dicht bij de grens. Het is wel teleurstellend, maar we waren erop voorbereid en zijn vol vertrouwen. Ik deen veel aan jullie. [Onleesbaar deel]. Ik helb alle brieven en foto's bij me. Mn liefste bezit. Wanneer zien we elkaar weer? Dat zal nu wel lang duren. Maar eerdoor komen we. [Onleesbaar deel]. Heel veel liefs jongens, bedankt vour alles. Tot ziens.
English: Dear friends, we are close to the border now. It is very disappointing, but we are prepared for it and remain hopeful. I think a lot about you. [Unreadable part]. I've got all your letters and photos with me. My dearest possessions. When will we see each other again? That will take a long time. But we shall survive. [Unreadable part]. Lots of love guys, thanks for everything. Goodbye.
The diary was first published in 1977, with the name Dagboek geschreven in Vught (Diary written in Vught). The editor was Karel van het Reve, Koker's best friend, a professor of Slavic languages and literature. Karel collected and edited the smuggled diary fragments. The manuscript was stored at the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD). It had been translated to English and was published in 2012, under the title: At the Edge of the Abyss: A Concentration Camp Diary, 1943-1944. Koker's diary was in finalist for the Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category in 2012.