Barend Hilversum was born in Amersfoort on 3 December 1899 as the son of Heiman Hilversum and Aaltje Roodveldt. Barend earned his living as a peddler and dealer in irregular goods. On 18 June 1919, at the age of 19, he married in Amsterdam the 24-year-old Keetje Kloot, daughter of Salomon Kloot and Sara Sluijzer; she was born there on 13 August 1894. On 25 June 1920 their first child was stillborn, but on 5 June 1922 their came son Salomon and on 5 Apri 1927 their daughter Sara.
After their marriage was concluded, Barend and Keetje stayed shortly in Amersfoort, where their first child was stillborn, moved to Rotterdam in March 1921, where their son Salomon was born in 1922, but at the end of November 1923 they moved to Amersfoort again. In November 1926 they moved to Amsterdam, where they lived until 1935; their daughter Sara was also born there. They left then for Tilburg, where they lived until 1936 in the Enschotsestraat. But they returned to Rotterdam where they first ended up in the Schommelstraat but in March 1937 moved to the Crooswijkseweg 60b.
One of Keetje's sisters, Sientje Kloot, who was married to Emanuel van West and lived in Rotterdam, was permanently admitted to the Jewish Psychiatric Hospital "Het Apeldoornsche Bosch" in 1935. Her husband Emanuel then lived at different addresses in Rotterdam, but on 21 May 1940 he came to live in with the family of his brother-in-law Barend Hilversum and his sister-in-law Keetje Kloot.
Of the Barend Hilversum family, only Barend himself survived the war; he died in 1968 in Rotterdam and was buried in the Jewish Cemetery of his birthplace Amersfoort. His wife Keetje and daughter Sara were deported to Westerbork at the beginning of October 1942. Notes on their registration cards of the Jewish Council show that both were “admitted” in hospital barrack 81 on 13 November 1942. Both were deported to Auschwitz on 11 January 1943, where they were murdered on 14 January 1943 in the gas chambers of Aushwitz-Birkenau.
The 20-year-old Salomon Hilversum most likely belonged to the group of Rotterdam Jews who received a call-up in July 1942 for the so-called “Arbeitseinsatz”. They then had to report to Loods 24, after which the first transport left Rotterdam for Westerbork in the night of 30 to 31 July 1942 to Westerbork. (source: Joods Erfgoed Rotterdam/deportations – dutch language only)
Salomon Hilversum was engaged on 12 June 1942 to Naatje van der Sluis from Rotterdam, who was born there on 27 November 1915 as the daughter of Izak Simon van der Sluis and Vroukje Trijtel. Naatje was also transferred to Westerbork in the night of 30 to 31 July 1942. In order to “stick together”, Salomon and Naatje submitted a request to marry in Westerbork, on the basis of which they were granted a postponement of deportation. The marriage was concluded in Westerbork on 7 August, with Naatje's sister, Saartje van der Sluis, as a witness.
The "honeymoon" lasted only a week, because on 14 August both were deported to Auschwitz. This transport, with a total of 505 deportees, has arrived in Auschwitz ± 17 August 1942, where most likely both “youngsters” were employed there, although it is not known where they ended up and what the "work" included. The conditions there were terrible and harsh and it is not known how, when and where exactly both have died.
After the war, the Dutch authorities established, partly on the basis of research by the Red Cross and testimonials from survivors, that Salomon Hilversum and Naatje Hilversum-van der Sluis could no longer be alive after 30 September 1942. The municipality of Rotterdam was then instructed to draw up death certificates for both, in which it is recorded that both died on 30 September 1942 in Auschwitz.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration cards of Barend Hilversum, certificate of marriage Hilversum x Kloot; the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Barend Hilversum and Izak Simon van der Sluis; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Barend Hilversum, Keetje Hilversum-Kloot, Salomon Hilversum, Naatje Hilversum-van der Sluis and Sara Hilversum; website Joods Erfgoed Rotterdam/ Tweede Wereldoorlog/deportaties (Dutch language only); Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl; website wiewaswie/death 1968 Barend Hilversum and the website CBG/ verzamelingen/overlijdensadvertenties/Barend Hilversum 1968. (CBG/collections/obits/Barend Hilversum 1968 – dutch language only),