After the war many family members miraculously survived,
coming up from hiding or from the Japanese prison camps. Next you see the “jodenster”, “jewish star”, George Cassuto supposedly wore on his coat or anyway had in his possesion. I found it in his little blue suitcase, which is now laying beside me. Below you see the photo’s of oma Carolien, opa Ies and their youngest son George, dated 20 october 1945.
The three photo’s were sent to India, where eldest son Max was recovering from the slave labor under the Japanese.
I quote the words written by oma Carolien on the backside of her portrait: “Moeder, die heel wat verouderd is zendt deze foto aan haar lieven oudsten zoon en als God ’t geve, aan Puck en Robbie.”
(“Mother, grown old quite a bit, sends this picture to her dear eldest son and God willing to Puck and Robbie”)
I also added a picture of Max taken Jan. 1946

Max 1945; on the back is written:
“Met al mijn liefde voor mijn trouwe, dappere vrouwtje
en mijn kleine schat van Max”
apparently the picture was sent in a letter.

Puck, Robbie and Max, photo taken in Calcutta, India in January 1946 after their miraculous reunion after the hardships of the Pacific war.

reunited!

rare little photo of the family just reunited after the war, 1946, in front of the
Badhuisweg 86, Scheveningen (above them the windows of Opa’s study)
from left to right: Puck, Max, Carolien (Oma), Rob, Ernest, George, Ies (Opa)

another “reunion picture”, 1946, taken on the balcony of 86 Badhuisweg, Scheveningen
standing from left to right: Max, Puck, Ies (“Opa”)
sitting: Betsy van Zuiden-van Praag (“Omi”), Albert van Zuiden (“Opi”) – parents to Puck, see their van Zuiden page – and Lien Cassuto-Winkel (“Oma”)
The van Zuidens lived some months after their return from Indonesia to Holland in the upper store of the Badhuisweg villa.

Puck with Ab, the just arrived Irene and Rob, then still Robbie, 1948

picture, taken in 1949 in Scheveningen before the 86 Badhuisweg, from left to right, Ies Cassuto, Grietje Bogaarts (“tante Grie”, foster-mother to Elly Rodrigues, who was in hiding wirh her during the war), Lien Cassuto-Winkel, George and Ernest Cassutto. Elly, the still his fiancee, took the picture. It was sent to Puck Cassuto-van Zuiden (wife to Max) on the occasion of her birthday. On the backside Ernest had written congatulations and the sentence: “Goed boxje, he, hebben we gekocht” (Good camera we have bought, didn’t we)…On the right you see the wooden staircase to the balcony, on which Lien (“oma Cassuto”, I remember the dress she wears on this photo was lila) has been sitting so many hours (and I, RC, as a kid too)

Elly also in front of the 86 Badhuisweg

above: 86 Badhuisweg now

At the same time – from 1949 – 1951 – Max and his family were back in Indonesia, actually then The Dutch East Indies on the brink of becoming Indonesia. This picture is from 1949, the last year of the Dutch colonial administration. Max is still in his uniform of Dutch colonial official. Besides him his colleague and good friend Koos Crefeld. They are standing before Max’ car, a Ford, which I, Rob, remember so well, it was Bordeaux red and I can still recall the smell of the heated coachwork plates on which the tropical sun had burned.

Max, Puck and children around 1950 in Bandung, Indonesia

Max and misjpoge, 1952, just returned from Indonesia and again the family lived then in the 86 Badhuisweg.
left to right: Max, Ab, Rob, Irene, Puck

somewhat hazy pic, same time, 1952, this must have been in Hurwenen, f.l.t.r. Ernest, Max, Elly and before them Max’s children Irene, Ab, Rob. Puck must have been behind the camera. Apparently Hetty was not yet born

Isaac and Lien Cassuto (Opa and Oma) on their visit in Passaic 1954 with Elly, Ernest, and little Hetty, Marilyn and Carolyn.

the famous balcony of 86 Badhuisweg again, now I estimate in 1956.
from left to right: Puck, Rob, George, Lien (Oma), Max, Jo Rompies (old friend of Ies en Lien), unknown.
Ies (Opa) is missing, the pic dates from after his passing away in 1955.
Cassuto’s in Holland 1958

the greater Cassuto family gathered around (grand)mother Carolien Cassuto in 1958
standing in back row from left to right: Ab, Ernest, Elly, George, Max
before them: Hetty, tante Grie (second mother to Elly), Carolyn, oma Cassuto, Puck, Marilyn, Rob
sitting in front: Irene

marriage George Izn and Hanneke
GeorgeCassuto Izn at his wedding with Hanneke van Royen in 1961
At the time he was a naval chaplain.

Below we see a photo taken at this wedding and picturing his mother Caroline and elder brother (my father)
Max

Caroline Cassuto-Winkel and her eldest son Max (my father z.l.) at the wedding of het youngest son George (see photo above)

Rob Cassuto on a visit to America. 1961. He worked as a pantry boy for some weeks for the “Holland Amerika Lijn” on the mailboats, which then still were in the running between Rotterdam and New York. Rob had arrived in New York on the “Westerdam”. We see him in the kitchen of the Cassutto house in Passaic (New Jersey) next to Elly and before them the twins George and Benjamin.

Max and Puck Cassuto, with children behind the dinner table of the famous 82 Vogelkers street, The Hague. The picture must be taken about 1963. From left to right: Rob, Ab, Puck, Irene, Max

X-mas in the Vogelkersstraat 82 (The Hague) plm. 1966, l to r Lien (oma), Ab (sitting), Max, Irene, Rob, Albert v Zuiden (opi), Betsy vZ (omi); apparently Puck Cassuto-vZuiden took the photo.

round 1971

some pictures taken about 1970-1971, when Ernest and family were over from the U.S.
pictures above show Lien (“Oma”) and Ernest and, right, with Canne, in the living room of the 82 Vogelkersstraat, The Hague, home of Max and Puck, who we see below in action in the kitchen. Below right Oma still on the 86 Badhuisweg balcony; soon after she would move to a home for the elderly.

Cassuto brothers in U.S.

Canne and Hetty’s kids (Kelly Ann and Calvin), Puck, Max, Elly and Ernest in 1981; the parents still going strong!

Offspring of Max and Puck Cassuto

Picture of Max and Puck Cassuto’s children and grandchildren, taken at the occasion of Max and Puck’s 40th marriage anniversary. l to r: Ab, wife Monique with before her the little Rogier, Irene, husband Karel and Rob with before him the little Leonore, Rogier and Leonore being Ab and Monique’s children. Below we jump to 12 years later, look for the differences:

The offspring of Max and Puck Cassuto, photo offered as a present to mother Puck Cassuto for her 70th birthday by children and grandchildren. From left to right standing Francy Groeneveld, Rob’s then partner, Rob, Karel van Zwol, Ab, Irene van Zwol-Cassuto, Marloes; sitting in front Leonore and Rogier, the latter three children of Ab