James Van Ameringen, 100, lived as he died quietly and simply and with no fuss. Photo / Supplied
James Van Ameringen, 100, lived as he died quietly and simply and with no fuss. Photo / Supplied
Holocaust survivor James Van Ameringen lived for his family and despite suffering many hardships the Tauranga centenarian never let that diminish his zest for life.
Jacobus Mozes "James" Van Ameringen was born into a family of Orthodox Jews in Amsterdam on July 22, 1921.
He died at home on January22 but not before he celebrated his 100th birthday last year.
He is survived by his sons - Samuel, 68, who lives in Kerikeri, Marcus, 67, who lives in Dallas in America, Joel, 63, who lives in Tauranga, and Tim, 57, from Dairy Flat.
Joel said their father had been out walking the day before he died and although he had been slowing down in recent months he was generally in good health and good spirits.
"It was an absolute shocker to have Dad go so soon. I'd put him to bed the night before and we chatted a bit a few hours later when I went to check on him."
Joel said during his father's morning shower he suddenly took his final breath and "that was it".
"Even though Dad had lived such a long life, you never really expect the end to come so soon. Dad always told us he wanted to die on the Shabbat and I'm so relieved he got his wish and so thankful that he died so peacefully."
Shabbat or the Sabbath is Judaism's festive day of rest on the seventh day of the week - Saturday - and a day when Jews contemplate the spiritual and religious aspects of life.
Samuel said learning of his father's passing came as a "real shock" but he was pleased he did not suffer a painful death like his grandparents and other relatives did.
In 1940, as James was finishing high school, his homeland was invaded by Germany and in early 1943 his mother Sophia and sister Helena were arrested by the Nazis at their home.
James and his father hid - one in a cupboard and the other in the ceiling.
His father arranged for James' escape to France with a false Dutch identity but handed himself into the Nazis so he could join his wife in a concentration camp in Poland.
Almost two dozen of James' family, including his parents, died in concentration camps or on the cattle trains taking them to the camps in 1943 and 1944.
Helena survived after the Germans put her to work as a seamstress and she and her brother reunited after the war. She died aged 87 about a decade ago in Melbourne.
According to the Holocaust Centre of NZ records, James was one of the estimated 25 known Holocaust survivors living in this country.
He and his late wife Aaltje (Alice) married on May 19, 1952, not long after arriving in New Zealand and they found work as farmhands in Whenuakite.
James' varied careers included periods working as a soil and water researcher, carpenter and teacher and laboratory technician.
He and Alice moved to Tauranga in 1991, settling in Gate Pa, and they had been married for 57 years at the time of her death on January 26, 2010.
Joel Van Ameringen (left) with his father James and brother Marcus at their father's 100th birthday celebrations in July last year. Photo /NZME
Joel said their father was an amazing man and a "wonderful role model" to them and many other people on how to live their lives.
"He always encouraged us to stand on the shoulders of our warriors, and learn from their example to become a better person and strive to make the world a better place. "
Joel said their father had a strong belief in his faith and put his life in Jesus Christ's hands and trusted in his protection many times, particularly during the Holocaust.
"Dad was a great listener and he respected everybody no matter what their background or beliefs. He never had any animosity towards anyone," he said.
Joel said his father was "emotionally drained" from his Holocaust experiences yet despite those hardships he was not bitter.
He even learned to forgive those responsible for the Holocaust murders, including those of his parents and other relatives, he said.
Although it was painful to discuss those atrocities, in 2019 a memoir of his experiences was published after James' family started recording his memories.
Joel and Samuel said their parents were devoted to each other and when their mother developed polio their father helped to care for her.
"Dad was a very hard worker and he sacrificed a lot for us, including some of his own pleasures and possibly his career ambitions, to make sure we did not miss out on the opportunities other people enjoyed."
Joel said his father was not a very demonstrative person and, like many of his generation, he was a "little austere" but he was a devoted husband, father and Opa.
"We always knew he loved us and we loved him too and miss him deeply."
He is also survived by his four daughters in-law Anneke, Becky, Sharon and Fiona, and he was Opa to his 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
James Van Ameringen with close friends Gaynor Schiff and her daughter Vanessa. Photo / Supplied
Close family friend Gaynor Schiff, who also lives in Tauranga, said she met James at an Israeli dancing class where he was taking lessons a decade ago.
"We immediately became firm friends and very soon he also became our family's surrogate grandfather and a dearly loved and respected Opa.
"My daughter Vanessa and I used to love listening to his stories and hearing about all his escapades.
"Opa was an amazing, amazing man. He was one of nature's true gentleman in every sense of the word - a gentle man, who never had an ugly word to say about anybody.
"He was always immaculately groomed and dressed. And he had the most amazing smile with a big twinkle in his clear blue eyes that never faded.
"Opa loved music especially Israeli music and dancing with a passion and he often took part in the shows I produced at the Bethlehem College's theatre.
"His love of God and his Messiah, his sure faith and steadfastness was an example to so many of us. He passed away as he had lived - quietly, simply and with no fuss.
"He was an exemplary human being who will be greatly missed by me and my family."
A service to celebrate James' life will be held at Cherry Bay, McLaren Falls Park on January 26 at 11am, followed by a burial at Pyes Pa Cemetery.
