Biography

The fate of the family of Jacob Aardewerk.

Feitje Korper, a daughter of Meijer Korper and Duifje Roodveld, married 25 August 1923 the widower of Gesina Susanna Wiebosch, Jacob Aardewerk, a son of Mozes Aardewerk and Rebekka van Coevorden. Gesina Wiebosch passed 6 December 1922 and they had no offspring.

From the marriage of Jacob Aardewerk and Feitje Korper, finve children were born, namely Rebekka op 31 March 1924, Duifje 24 February 1926, Mozes 1 August 1928, Henriette 2 November 1930 and as late arrival  Joop Aardewerk, who was born two months before the death of his father Jacob, on 8 January 1940. Jacob Aardewerk passed away still before the outbroke of WWII on 14 March 1940. He was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen.

A few months after the passing of Jacob Aardewerk, Mozes Aardwerk has been accommodated per 15 March 1940 in the Nederlands Israëlitisch Jongensweeshuis Megadle Jethomiem (Dutch Israëlitic Boys Orphanage) which was located at Amstel 21. Since 26 March 1941, his 2-year younger sister Henriëtte (Hetty) lived in the Nederlands Israëlitisch Meisjesweeshuis Megadle Jethomoth at Rapenburgerstraat 171 in Amsterdam  (Dutch Israëlitic Girls Orphanage). On 10 February 1943, the orphanage was evacuated by orders of the German occupiers and Hetty was taken to Westerbork. Also her brother Mozes was registered that same day in Westerbork.

According notes made 11 February 1943 on the Jewisch Council registration card of Mozes Aardwerk, his uncle Wolf Korper and his wife Maria Hol, who lived at Zwanenburgerstraat 6, 2nd floor in Amsterdam, were both prepared to take Mozes and Hetty into their family; they were mixed married and therefore exempted from deportation until further notice, (“gesperrt”) But 15 February came the answer: there is no possibility that the children could be sent back to Amsterdam, so the request of the family members could not yield a result.

The website joodsamsterdam.nl informs among others: In Westerbork, the 70 people from the orphanage were locked up in the penal baracks, where they were forbidden to go outside. Fortunately, one of the children gets before the next Tuesday (day of transport) the infectious desease scarlet fever and the group as a whole went into in quarantaine, however in March, the deportation for 25 children and their leaders still followed. 38 children and the directress  stayed in Westerbork but some weeks later, the directress and the remaining children still were put on transport to Sobibor, (on 13 April 1943), among them also Hetty and Mozes Aardewerk. On arrival in Sobibor on 16 April 1943, they were killed immediately.

Some months before, on 14 January 1943, their mother Feitje Aardewerk-Korper and her 3-year old little son Joop were registered in Westerbork where they stayed in the barracks 65 and 63. One week later, on Saturday 23 January both were deported to Auschwitz and on arrival there on 26 January 1943, they were immediately killed.

Rebekka Aardwerk, the eldest daughter of Jacob and Feitje, most likely fell victim to the raid of 14 July 1942, in which 700 Jewish residents of Amsterdam were arrested and taken in procession to the Euterpestraat. The chairmen of the Jewish Council were summoned  to the “Sicherheitspolizei” where they were told that "if this week he 4000 designated Jews were not ready to go to the labor camps in Germany, the 700 detainees would be transferred to a concentration camp in Germany".('extra edition' of the Jewish Weekly,July 14, 1942).

Rebekka Aardewerk was deported to Auschwitz on Thursday 16 July 1942 for "work expansion in Germany" where she was still used to perform forced labor upon arrival. It is not known on what date exactly Rebekka Aardewerk lost her life or was killed, but her official date of death is establisched on 30 September 1942.

Also the 16-year old Duifje Aardewerk fell victim to the obligatory “work expansion in Germany” as orderd by the German occupiers. She was taken in the night of 19 July 1942 to Westerbork.  Destpite street cars were made available, boys and girls had to walk between midnight and 2 o’clock to the Central Station, through a moonless and darkened Amsterdam. Families were not allowed to say goodbye and it was them forbidden to step outside the houses. When the door closes, everything is over and out.

On  20 July Duifje was registered in Westerbork and after one week, put on transport to Auschwitz on 27 July 1942. On arrival, she was still used to perform forced labor but it is not known which date exactly she has lost her life or was killed. Her official date of death has been established too as 30 September 1942.

Sources: City archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Jacob Aardewerk and Feitje Korper; residence card of Zwanenburgwal 6 2nd floor; website joodsamsterdam.nl, Jewish Girls Orphanage Mangsiem Tobiem Magadle Jethomoth; “Ondergang”, volume I, paged 256, 261 and 262 by Dr. J. Presser; website hetstenenarchief.nl, grave Jacob Aardewerk; website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Feitje Aardewerk-Korper, Rebekka, Duifje, Mozes, Henriette and Joop Aardewerk.

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