Bertha Wagenhuizen was born 24 July 1888 in Amsterdam as youngest of the eight children of Jacob Wagenhuizen and Rebecca Witmond. Her other siblings were Rachel (1874), Morris (1876), David (1877), Barend (1879), Simon (1881), Bella (1882), all born in London and Eva (1886), who was born in Amsterdam. Her sibs Barend and Bella died already before the war but the others have been killed during the Holocaust.
Bertha Wagenhuizen married 18 January 1922 in Zaandam to Mozes Abram, a son of Isak Abram and Hanna Goudsmit. They lived at Nieuwe Achtergracht 22 1st floor in Amsterdam and as far as known Bertha and Mozes had no offspring.
Also Mozes Abram was born in a large family with in total ten children, of whom only his sister Sophia has survived the Holocaustr, however not long after the end of the war she died on 3 August 1946 in Amsterdam. Of his other siblings, Schoontje, Lea, Sara, Simon Abraham and Marianne were killed 10 September 1942 in Auschwitz. His sister Esperance was killed 23 July 1943 in Sobibor and his eldest brother Aäron lost his life 31 December 1944 in the Extern Kommando Orianienburg.
Mozes Abram was “rabbinical warden bread bakeries and confectioneries” for the Nederlands Israelitische Hoofdsynagoge locationt “Houtmarkt” (Jonas Daniël Meijerplein) since 1913 and up from 1942 he was employed at the Jewish Council in the department of bread distribution. Because of that he and his wife Bertha were exempted from deportation until further notice. (“gesperrt bis auf weiteres”.
From “Ondergang”volume I, 1965, pages 370-372 by Dr. J. Presser: On Friday 21 May at 10 o’clock in the morning, Aus der Fünten informed Asscher, Cohen and Sluzker, that 7000 persons who were employed by the Jewish Council should be “released” for leaving; reflection time 20 minutes. After their protest, Aus der Fünten referred them to Lages, who informed them (in the presence of Aus der Fünten and Blumenthal) that the order must be followed up and that if this was not the case, measures would be taken, of which the Jews in the Netherlands never dreamed of’.Again protest here: in vain. The order was to appoint these people yourselves. On Tuesday evening, May 25, 1943, the 7000 had to appear. (among them also Mozes Abram and his wife Bertha Wagenhuizen).
That 25th of May 1943, Bertha and Mozes were taken away to Westerbork, registered there and stayed in barrack 62. On 1 June they were put on transport to Sobibor and on arrival there 4 June 1943, they were immediately killed.
Sources: City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Bertha Wagenhuizen and Mozes Abram; website zoekakten.nl, birth certificate of Bertha Wagenhuizen 1888, register 8, folio 84, nr. 8198; the file cabinet of the Jewisch Council, registration cards of Bertha Wagenhuizen and Mozes Abram and “Ondergang”, volume 1, 1965, pages 370-372 by Dr. J. Presser.