Dr. Diamant - The Doctor of Den Bosch

Editorial Team · 2026-07-17

## dr. Diamant In the first decades of the 20th century, Dr. Diamant was a well-known and beloved house doctor in the city. He settled on the Van der Does de Willeboissingel. Initially, he practiced in the Orthenstraat. On the corner with the Capucijnenlaantje stands a striking building. The stately mansion with remarkably elegant ornaments on the facade was the residence of Dr. Diamant. Not much is known to me about Dr. Diamant yet. The only data I use here comes from Gerard 'Grad' M. van den Heuvel, who lived in the Korte Tolbrugstraat. Meanwhile [November 2003], this research has been supplemented with documentation collected by Patrick Timmermans. That manuscript has now been published via [www.thuisinbrabant.nl](http://www.thuisinbrabant.nl/). **dr. Salomon Diamant** Dr. Diamant made a name for himself by saving German passengers [1907], who happened to be on the passenger ship with which he and his wife - Martha de Vries - had departed for their honeymoon. That ship - the 'Berlin' - ran aground near Hoek van Holland during a North-Westerly storm and broke in two. Diamant personally managed to save a large number of passengers. After bringing his wife to safety, he reportedly saved 200 passengers from drowning. The couple had twins [daughters Bernardina and Paula *November 30, 1913], whom Van den Heuvel still knew, and a daughter Cato [February 7, 1908]. A son died at the age of four. His tombstone with sculpture by Vreugde is located in the Groenendaal cemetery. **general practice** According to Van den Heuvel, he established a practice in the Orthenstraat. Grad's parents immediately took Diamant - August 3, 1908 - as their family doctor. This must have been after 1910, because on May 19, 1910, as Patrick Timmermans writes, Diamant moved with his family to Den Bosch. What Van den Heuvel found striking about Diamant was his social commitment. Grad van den Heuvel developed a muscle disease in his second year and spent his entire life in a wheelchair. Diamant's involvement in the family's well-being always stayed with Grad. 'Well-being' is an understatement; the Van den Heuvel family was not spared much. When the Diamant couple separated in 1936, it was a scandal for the Jewish community, especially Rabbi Soetendorp. The underlying reason was that the doctor was so absorbed in his practice and his patients that his family actually suffered from it. His wife couldn't take it anymore. Van den Heuvel: 'Diamant helped many patients recover, encouraged them, and in his own way contributed to their healing. But ultimately, in 1943, he was deported to a concentration camp.' **Rue de la Pipe** Diamant survived his banishment. Van den Heuvel met him again in 1946 at the festivities in Montparnasse. Grad grew up in this working-class neighborhood in 'de Pijp'. Diamant told his story at Grad's home in the Korte Tolbrugstraat, recounting his experiences and what he had gone through during those few years in the Konzentrationslager. Van den Heuvel recorded the orally transmitted account and shared it with me in 2001. In a tent camp, set up as a field hospital, Diamant helped and cared for German soldiers and civilian casualties, and even performed operations when necessary. Each day followed the same rhythm: waking up at 6:00 AM, and not going to bed until ten in the evening, interrupted by a short lunch. Sometimes he saved the lives of Germans, while his fellow Jews were led to the gas chambers. **return to Den Bosch** His internment and forced labor lasted until the Americans liberated him in 1944 and transported him to Den Bosch. Weeping, Diamant told his story to Van den Heuvel in a small front room. No light was allowed to be turned on. After his return, Salomon Diamant went to live as a boarder with the widow Schippers on the Jan de la Barlaan. There, he died in solitude in 1957. Grad: 'I wrote this down to snatch this incredibly difficult life from oblivion. I envision a statue in memory of this truly great and magnificent man with that beautiful deep voice...'. Shortly after Diamant's account to Van den Heuvel, the latter presented his idea for a memorial to Rabbi Soetendorp. However, he reacted completely negatively: 'I will move heaven and earth to prevent a memorial or street name dedicated to Dr. Salomon Diamant.' In the spring of 2001, a proposal was made to the municipal street naming committee to name a street in Den Bosch after Dr. Diamant. Initially, there was no specific response to the request. A few months later [October 23, 2001], the definitive rejection came: '...in the municipality there are already two streets where the name Diamant appears...'. Grad van den Heuvel passed away in the spring of 2002. © paul kriele, November 8, 2001. **Sources: Herman van Boxtel/Grad van den Heuvel and some personal details of Dr. Diamant from Patrick Timmermans.**