Watch the testimony, then read the short biography.
Eli Asser is talking about his youth in the Joden Houttuinen, during the 1920’s, and about how the atmosphere changed in the 1930’s, as Hitler got into power in Germany.
Eli Asser was born in Amsterdam, on the 22nd December, 1922. He grew up in the Joden Houttuinen. His father worked as a vendor at the Waterlooplein market. Eli was a good student, and got to attend the Barlaeus Gymnasium (high school), which was a big achievement for a Jewish boy coming from a poor family. During the war, Eli’s parents and sister stayed in Amsterdam, where they were arrested and deported to Auschwitz. All three were murdered. Eli himself wasn’t in Amsterdam during the raids. For some time, he worked as a nurse at the Jewish psychiatric institution ‘Apeldoornsche Bosch’, together with his future wife, Eva. Eli and Eva managed to flee from the institution just on time, and were hiding until the end of the war. After the war, Eli worked as a journalist, and later gained fame as a writer. Eli and Eva had three children: Joosje, Hella and David, and six grandchildren.