Bennie van der Molen, born 5 Februari 1896 in Amsterdam, was a son of Meijer van der Molen and Esther Appel. He married Heintje Casseres in Amsterdam on 5 Februruary 1930, a daughter of Aaron Casseres and Sara Lelie. The couple had four children, namely Esther in 1930 (usually called Elly),Sara in 1933 (usually named Sonja), Meijer in 1937 (known as Max) en David in 1941 (called David). The whole family has been killed during the Shoah.
Bennie was born into a family with in total nine children. His father Meijer had already died on 25 November 1930 and he was interred two days later in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen. His mother Esther Appel however has been killed in the Shoah too. Also Bennie’s sisters Naatje, Duifje, Amalia and Rachel and their families lost their lives during the Holocaust.
Bennie was a car dealer by profession. After his marriage in 1930, the couple lived in Tolstraat 1881 1st floor in Amsterdam and 4 February 1934, the family moved to Vechtstraat 103. Their children Esther (Elly) and Sara (Sonja) were born in Amsterdam, Meijer (Max) in Bennebroek and David in Haarlem. On 7 November 1935 the Van der Molen family left Amsterdam for Bennebroek to start there a garage company and car trading with a partner, Mr. J.P.G. Meijer. They settled there on Straatweg 1 B.
Bennie van der Molen and Jan G.P. Meijer were indeed partners, but they had not recorded anything on paper. Probably because Jan Meijer already had a garage on the Glipperweg and also a grocery store on "de Glip", which was runned by his wife. However, she had been living in disagreement with her husband already for some time, which is why he lived in with Bennie, upstairs the garage.
As a result of the introduction of anti-Jewish measures by the Germans, up from 12 March 1941 Jewish companies were placed under the supervision of a "Verwalter" (administrator) or a "Treuhänder" (curator). Bennie's partner Meijer then offered hiding addresses to Bennie several times, where they could go into hinding - although separate from each other. However, seperated going into hiding was what Bennie under no circumstances wanted, which is why they never were in hiding.
Then, on 22 June 1943, the garage company in Bennebroek also came under the "management" of Omnia Treuhandgesellschaft and was discontinued on 15 October 1943. It therefore did not remain in the hands of Bennie's non-Jewish partner Meijer. Bennie, however, had to move with his family to Amsterdam already on 11 June 1942, where they ended up at Tugelaweg 35 1st floor in Amsterdam-East.
After their return in Amsterdam, Bennie got this job at the Jewish Council per 29 June 1942, reason why he and his family (wife and children) had a “Sperre” – they were exempted from deportation until further notice. Bennie was an administrator at the vegetable department of the Jewish Council and of the street market in Joubertstraat.
Bennie, his wife Heintje and his four children were arrested during the so-called “Gross Aktion”(big round up) of 20 June 1943 in Amsterdam. Their exemption (Sperre) was therefore cancelled. This raid was prepared in the greatest secrecy because the intention of the Germans was “to make a large rest of the Jews in the southern and eastern part of Amsterdam marschfertig”(ready to march). As a result, many were taken to Westerbork that Sunday and were deported to Auschwitz or Sobibor. Holland then was nearly "Judenrein"......
The Van der Molen family arrived that 20th of June in Westerbork and were accommodated in barrack 70. Eventually, they have been deported to Auschwitz only on 25 January 1944 and they all were on arrival there on 28 January 1944 immediately killed.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card and archive card of Bennie van der Molen; websites wiewaswie.nl and the Wikipedia list of Jew transports from the Netherlands; websites regarding the raid of 20 June 1943 of Niod and Geheugen van Ooost and db.nl and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Bennie van der Molen, Heintje Casseres, Esther, Sara, Meijer en David van der Molen and informations and additions of a relative of J.P.G.Meijer.