Stumbling Stones Kamplaan 10

These brass memorial plaques (Stolpersteine or stumbling stones) commemorate:
*IRWIN SERPHOS (born 1922, deported from Westerbork and murdered 31 December 1942, Auschwitz)
*HENRIETTE SERPHOS-MENKO (born 1895, deported from Westerbork and murdered 26 January 1943, Auschwitz)

Irwin Serphos lived here with his mother, Henriette Serphos-Menko. He was the son of the family that owned the Serphos & Sons weaving mill. Irwin was a talented student who graduated from the Higher Textile School in June 1940. At the age of 18, he moved to Dordrecht to continue his studies at the MTS.

During his time in Dordrecht, Irwin met friends from the student association, where he was active in the resistance. Irwin was betrayed and probably arrested because of his work in the resistance. These resistance fighters helped find hiding places, including one for his sister Jeannette Estella, who survived the war.

In the spring of 1942, Irwin's name also appeared on a German list of Jews that has been preserved in the Dordrecht archives. He was arrested on September 12 and deported to Auschwitz via Camp Westerbork on September 18, 1942. Here, Irwin was murdered at the age of only 20. Henriëtte Serphos Menko also did not escape the murderous Nazis. She too was murdered in Auschwitz on January 26, 1943, more than three weeks after her son was murdered at the same location. Henriëtte was 47 years old.

These Stolpersteine lie here for Jewish war victims deported and murdered in World War II.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the sidewalk in front of a residence of (usually Jewish) victims of the Nazis. Each plaque is provided with the name of the victim, date of birth and the fate of these people. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Bert Deelman
• Irwin Serphos | Joods Monument
• Henriette Serphos-Menko | Joods Monument