REQUEST
Yesterday I read by coincidende the story about the Weinthal/family of the website www.joodserfgoedrotterdam.nl. For many years I am looking for members of this familiy in The Netherlands, without any result. Our book store is situated in The Hague in a building that once was, before the war, one of the stores of Weinthal & Co. At a refurbishment, 14 years ago, I encountered this glass name shield that was plastered away. I would be delighted if I could return this to a member of the Weinthal family. Or, if that is impossible, an other good destination. Can you help me?
This request was placed on this website for a number of years. The nameplate of Weinthal & Co was found years earlier during a refurbishment of childrens’ bookstore Alice in Wonderland at the Piet Heinstraat 2 in The Hague. The nameplate stood there for years, waiting for a good destination.
The owner, Jan Selman, wanted this good destination and didn’t want to throw the plate away. Even this plate is cultural heritage and a trace of the well-known cigare stores of Weinthal & Co, that were present in many Dutch cities before the 2nd World War.
The request was placed and stood on this site for many years. There was no reaction until Becky Weinthal fron Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, reacted.
Becky Weinthal found the information on this website and was interested in the nameplate.
In the meantime some years had passed, so first we had to look if all the people involved were still there, and if the childrens’ bookstore had survived the crisis. And they did, the nameplate was still waiting for a good destination.
The bookstore and the Weinthal family were brought into contact with eachother and a the shipment of a large (2 mtrs) glass plate had to be arranged. The Weinthals were really moved by all this. The nameplate of a company that was found in many big cities in The Netherlands (before the war: 20 stores), that was hidden under layers of wallpaper and found again was on its way to a part of the family that survived the Holocaust.
At the end of December 2014 the plate arrived at the Weinthals in Los Angeles. The unpacking was delayed for some time as the goldpaint of the W flaked, and an expert was invited to solve this problem. Now the nameplate can be seen at the house of the Weinthals in Huntington Beach, LA, 75 years after the occupation of The Netherlands started and the Weinthal company ended. Pictures of the event are here.