Lena IJzerkoper, born 4 May 1864 in Amsterdam, was a daughter of Samuel Isaac IJzerkoper and Sipora Jacob van Collem. She married Salomon Barend in Amsterdam on 25 November 1885, a son of David Barend and Vogeltje Abraham van West. The couple had nine children, namely David, Samuël, Mozes, Sippora, Sophia, Marianna, Nathan, Jacob and Rozette. Of these children, only Jacob has survived the Holocaust. All others with their families have been killed during the Shoah.
After their marriage, Lena and Salomon lived in the Valkenburgerstraat 139, moved in 1898 to house number 137 and on 4 December 1899 they moved to Rapenburgerstraat 32 3rd floor. After another five removals in the years between 1899 and 1938 they moved into a house at Cilliersstraat 17 in the Transvaal district of Amsterdam-East on 2 April 1928. There, Salomon Barend has died on 12 January 1936 at the age of 69 and on 14 January interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen.
In the meantime, already six of their nine children were married and lived with their families at own addresses in the city. Only Jacob, Nathan and Rozette still lived at their parental home. They moved 18 February 1937 together with their mother to Grensstraat 11 parterre. Jacob left soon already: he married 5 August 1937 and moved with his wife Cato (Kitty) Agstteribbe into a house at Camperstraat 14. Lena’s daughter Rozette has married on 17 February 1937 Levie (Louis) Scheffer. After the wedding, he came living in with his newly wed bride and mother-in-law Lena Barend-IJzerkoper. Also Lena’s unmarried son Nathan lived still at home.
The widow Barend-IJzerkopen moved again on 27 March 1940 to Ruyschstraat 63 II in Amsterdam-East and her son Nathan and daughter Rozette with her husband and her daughter Keetje, born in 1938, all moved with her.
Deportation has been spared her. Lena Barend-IJzerkoper passed away 23 June 1942 at the age of 78 in Amsterdam and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Salomon Barend, archive card of Lena IJzerkoper; various archive cards of Barend; website wiewaswie.nl/wedding Salomon Barend/Lena IJzerkoper; website Akevoth/Dutchjewry.org/Mokum/burialpermits/Salomon Barend; website hetstenenarchief.nl/tombstone Lena Barend-IJzerkoper.