The 1,000th Stolperstein was laid in Rotterdam. This took place on Wednesday, October 22, in Erasmusstraat in Rotterdam North. A Stolperstein, or stumbling stone, is a memorial stone in the pavement in front of the house of victims of the Second World War.

In recent days, a total of 87 Stolpersteine were laid in the city, including the 1,000th on Wednesday, October 22. This 1,000th Stolperstein bears the details of Simon Bon. Simon was only 1.5 years old. He was the youngest child of the Bon family.

Deported

David, Leentje, and their children Mietje (18), Betje (17), Sara (13), and Simon (1) were deported by the Germans in early October 1942 to Westerbork Camp. They lived at Erasmusstraat 25b at the time. From Westerbork, they were transported to Auschwitz camp. The family arrived there on October 16, 1942. Mother Leentje and the children were murdered immediately upon arrival. Father David died in March 1944. Six Stolpersteine were laid for them, one for each family member.

Stumbling

A Stolperstein is a 10 by 10 centimeter stone with a brass plate. The plate is engraved with the details of one person: name, date of birth, date of deportation, and date and place of death. A Stolperstein lies in the pavement in front of the victims last home address. The idea behind Stolpersteine is that you almost literally stumble over them, keeping attention on the victims of the Second World War.

Persecuted

Most Stolpersteine bear the names of Jewish war victims. It is estimated that 10,000 Jewish residents of Rotterdam died during the war. The stones are sometimes also for Roma, Sinti, homosexuals, or people with disabilities. They too were persecuted, deported, and ultimately murdered in camps such as Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen during the Second World War.

Joint Closing

Neighborhood resident Herman Rijkers requested the Stolpersteine for the Bon family. He has arranged many Stolpersteine in Rotterdam North. After laying the stone, there was a joint closing at Verhalenhuis Belvédère on Katendrecht. Deputy Mayor Tim Versnel was also present.

Stolpersteine App

Would you like to search for Stolpersteine in Rotterdam? On the Loods 24 website there is an overview of all Stolpersteine in the city.

There is also a Stolpersteine app that shows where the stones are located in the Netherlands and Belgium.

If you would like to request a Stolperstein, please contact Loods 24 via the page Request Procedure for Stolpersteine.