Daughter of deceased Paul from Amsterdam Jordaan found: “Special and moving”
We managed to get in touch with the daughter of the deceased ‘neighbourhood friend’ Paul from the Jordaan. The daughter’s name was, eventually, informed by her half-brother, who had received previous reports about Paul. AT5/NH Amsterdam spoke today with Amsterdam-born Daila about the search and her father.
“Very special and moving”, Daila recorded the effort the residents have taken. “It made a deep impression on me.”
Paul lived for years in Amsterdam, in recent years he lived in the Anjelierstraat. He was around all day and chatted with many local residents. After his death, local residents have an attempt to find Paul’s daughter.
Paul was born 72 years ago in Trieste, Italy. Early on he emigrated with his mother to America, where he grew up. He later returned to Europe. He lived in Sweden and France for a while, eventually settling in Amsterdam.
daila
Daughter Daila was also born there. She had little contact with Paul during her childhood. “He wasn’t someone who had a phone and hit you once in a while,” she says. “I spoke to him now and then, for example when I ran into him.”
“When I moved to Sweden, I became more curious and I felt I was old enough to ask questions,” says Daila. “When I visited him in the Netherlands, I visited him in CafĂ© ‘t Smalle. In recent years we have created better contact.”
The image of ‘neighbourhood friend’ of people from the Jordaan is of Paul, so does Daila. “I often saw him walking myself and I often heard from friends that they had even chatted with him,” she says. “Undoubtedly I have learned something from him. I am very proud of where I come from and who I have become.”
‘Important’
Elly van Sluijs, the local resident who started the search for Paul’s after the previous one, has lived in Sweden for years. She is happy that she was able to contact the daughter. “It is important that we were able to tell. If your father has passed away, you should of course know that, even if you have not had any contact with him for a long time.”
Paul’s funeral, which will be held by the municipality, has yet to take place. Elly hopes that Paul can be buried at the end of the week.