Mr. Monday and other tales of Jewish Amsterdam

THE BUILDING

JDeing a diamond polisher by trade, my father naturally was a member of the Union of Diamond Workers. In our neighbourhood Henri Polak, the President of the Union who had worked so hard to improve conditions for the diamond workers, was revered as a miracle-rabbi. Sometimes this veneration led to ridiculous imitations. Father had a friend called Sam, a member of the Union Council, who always agreed with everything Henri Polak had to say in such a devoted manner that they had given him the nickname "Sam Homogeneous". But Sam considered this a name of honour. He imitated the way Polak walked and dressed. He talked and cleared his throat like Henri. I even suspect that he considered it a homage to himself rather than to his President, when at the diamond works they sang one of the Union songs:

"When the bosses give us the sack We turn to Henri Polak If Henri we should ever lose We'd be walking on worn-out shoes."

The Union also made itself felt outside the diamond industry. It did not only strive to improve working conditions