Born in New York City, New York, he moved to Amsterdam in his teenage years. He was an American soccer player for Dutch club AFC Ajax. As a right winger, Hamel became a first team regular for Ajax. He was the first player with a Jewish background who made it to the first team, and to date only three others have followed in his footsteps - Johnny Roeg, Bennie Muller and Daniël de Ridder. Eddy Hamel was a good player and a fan favorite, according to the people who remember him. In the book Voetbalherinneringen ('Football Memories'), published in 1944, retired pre-World War II club legend, Ajax center-half Wim Anderiesen describes the strongest Ajax line-up he ever played in. Goalkeeper De Boer, Van Kol and Diepenbeek in defense, Schetters, Anderiesen and Martens at midfield, and forwards Mulders, Strijbos, Van Reenen, Volkers and Hamel. After his football career, Anderiesen became an Amsterdam policeman. Eddy played for Ajax from 1922 until 1930 and scored 8 goals in 125 league games.
It's thanks to Holocaust survivor, Leon Greenman, that we know the story of how Eddy died at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. Local Fascist groups assisted in the rounding up of undesirables. Despite his American citizenship, Eddy was detained as a Jew and in late 1942. As Simon Kuper wrote in his article "The Warm Back of Eddy Hamel", “Had he been able to prove his nationality, had he been a better right back, had he played for the Ajax first team more recently than 1930 he might not have been sent to Birkenau but to Theriesenstadt, the camp for protected Jews.” Hamel was infact sent to the death camp in Poland, where he spent four months in hard labor. He was remembered by his bunkmate in the camp, Leon Greenman as someone whose soul the conditions there could not touch, a man who maintained his dignity in even the most unimaginable environment. “Our conditions were turning us into different people. Not all of us, some remained the same as when they arrived. Eddie Hammel was always a gentleman.”
"After a month or three in Birkenau, the day of the Great Selection arrived. "From early in the morning 'til late in the evening, all they did was inspect your body. We were forced to undress and line up. Eddy Hamel was right behind me, because his name started with H and mine with G. He said to me: 'Leon, what will happen to me? I've got an abscess in my mouth.' I took a look. It looked swollen, indeed." Greenman smashes his hand on the table. "We were forced to walk past two desks. At every desk sat an SS officer. If you were declared fit, they directed you to the right. If you weren't, you went left. I walked past those tables. They pointed to the right." He fiercely points to the right as he tells it. "Eddy followed, I looked around and saw them sending him to the left." He points again. "The unfortunate moment. I thought they'd send him to hospital, but I never saw him again. It took me several months before I realized they were actually gassing people. It's not much, what I know about Eddy. It was very cold in that camp. All we had was one jacket and one sweater. And Eddy's back. His back was warm, you see?"
It's thanks to Holocaust survivor, Leon Greenman, that we know the story of how Eddy died at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. Local Fascist groups assisted in the rounding up of undesirables. Despite his American citizenship, Eddy was detained as a Jew and in late 1942. As Simon Kuper wrote in his article "The Warm Back of Eddy Hamel", “Had he been able to prove his nationality, had he been a better right back, had he played for the Ajax first team more recently than 1930 he might not have been sent to Birkenau but to Theriesenstadt, the camp for protected Jews.” Hamel was infact sent to the death camp in Poland, where he spent four months in hard labor. He was remembered by his bunkmate in the camp, Leon Greenman as someone whose soul the conditions there could not touch, a man who maintained his dignity in even the most unimaginable environment. “Our conditions were turning us into different people. Not all of us, some remained the same as when they arrived. Eddie Hammel was always a gentleman.”
"After a month or three in Birkenau, the day of the Great Selection arrived. "From early in the morning 'til late in the evening, all they did was inspect your body. We were forced to undress and line up. Eddy Hamel was right behind me, because his name started with H and mine with G. He said to me: 'Leon, what will happen to me? I've got an abscess in my mouth.' I took a look. It looked swollen, indeed." Greenman smashes his hand on the table. "We were forced to walk past two desks. At every desk sat an SS officer. If you were declared fit, they directed you to the right. If you weren't, you went left. I walked past those tables. They pointed to the right." He fiercely points to the right as he tells it. "Eddy followed, I looked around and saw them sending him to the left." He points again. "The unfortunate moment. I thought they'd send him to hospital, but I never saw him again. It took me several months before I realized they were actually gassing people. It's not much, what I know about Eddy. It was very cold in that camp. All we had was one jacket and one sweater. And Eddy's back. His back was warm, you see?"
Born in New York City, New York, he moved to Amsterdam in his teenage years. He was an American soccer player for Dutch club AFC Ajax. As a right winger, Hamel became a first team regular for Ajax. He was the first player with a Jewish background who made it to the first team, and to date only three others have followed in his footsteps - Johnny Roeg, Bennie Muller and Daniël de Ridder. Eddy Hamel was a good player and a fan favorite, according to the people who remember him. In the book Voetbalherinneringen ('Football Memories'), published in 1944, retired pre-World War II club legend, Ajax center-half Wim Anderiesen describes the strongest Ajax line-up he ever played in. Goalkeeper De Boer, Van Kol and Diepenbeek in defense, Schetters, Anderiesen and Martens at midfield, and forwards Mulders, Strijbos, Van Reenen, Volkers and Hamel. After his football career, Anderiesen became an Amsterdam policeman. Eddy played for Ajax from 1922 until 1930 and scored 8 goals in 125 league games.
It's thanks to Holocaust survivor, Leon Greenman, that we know the story of how Eddy died at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. Local Fascist groups assisted in the rounding up of undesirables. Despite his American citizenship, Eddy was detained as a Jew and in late 1942. As Simon Kuper wrote in his article "The Warm Back of Eddy Hamel", “Had he been able to prove his nationality, had he been a better right back, had he played for the Ajax first team more recently than 1930 he might not have been sent to Birkenau but to Theriesenstadt, the camp for protected Jews.” Hamel was infact sent to the death camp in Poland, where he spent four months in hard labor. He was remembered by his bunkmate in the camp, Leon Greenman as someone whose soul the conditions there could not touch, a man who maintained his dignity in even the most unimaginable environment. “Our conditions were turning us into different people. Not all of us, some remained the same as when they arrived. Eddie Hammel was always a gentleman.”
"After a month or three in Birkenau, the day of the Great Selection arrived. "From early in the morning 'til late in the evening, all they did was inspect your body. We were forced to undress and line up. Eddy Hamel was right behind me, because his name started with H and mine with G. He said to me: 'Leon, what will happen to me? I've got an abscess in my mouth.' I took a look. It looked swollen, indeed." Greenman smashes his hand on the table. "We were forced to walk past two desks. At every desk sat an SS officer. If you were declared fit, they directed you to the right. If you weren't, you went left. I walked past those tables. They pointed to the right." He fiercely points to the right as he tells it. "Eddy followed, I looked around and saw them sending him to the left." He points again. "The unfortunate moment. I thought they'd send him to hospital, but I never saw him again. It took me several months before I realized they were actually gassing people. It's not much, what I know about Eddy. It was very cold in that camp. All we had was one jacket and one sweater. And Eddy's back. His back was warm, you see?"
It's thanks to Holocaust survivor, Leon Greenman, that we know the story of how Eddy died at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. Local Fascist groups assisted in the rounding up of undesirables. Despite his American citizenship, Eddy was detained as a Jew and in late 1942. As Simon Kuper wrote in his article "The Warm Back of Eddy Hamel", “Had he been able to prove his nationality, had he been a better right back, had he played for the Ajax first team more recently than 1930 he might not have been sent to Birkenau but to Theriesenstadt, the camp for protected Jews.” Hamel was infact sent to the death camp in Poland, where he spent four months in hard labor. He was remembered by his bunkmate in the camp, Leon Greenman as someone whose soul the conditions there could not touch, a man who maintained his dignity in even the most unimaginable environment. “Our conditions were turning us into different people. Not all of us, some remained the same as when they arrived. Eddie Hammel was always a gentleman.”
"After a month or three in Birkenau, the day of the Great Selection arrived. "From early in the morning 'til late in the evening, all they did was inspect your body. We were forced to undress and line up. Eddy Hamel was right behind me, because his name started with H and mine with G. He said to me: 'Leon, what will happen to me? I've got an abscess in my mouth.' I took a look. It looked swollen, indeed." Greenman smashes his hand on the table. "We were forced to walk past two desks. At every desk sat an SS officer. If you were declared fit, they directed you to the right. If you weren't, you went left. I walked past those tables. They pointed to the right." He fiercely points to the right as he tells it. "Eddy followed, I looked around and saw them sending him to the left." He points again. "The unfortunate moment. I thought they'd send him to hospital, but I never saw him again. It took me several months before I realized they were actually gassing people. It's not much, what I know about Eddy. It was very cold in that camp. All we had was one jacket and one sweater. And Eddy's back. His back was warm, you see?"
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
