Lea Kiek was a daughter of Maurits Kiek and Henderiena Gosschalk. She was born 22 November 1881 in Groningen and married the first time on 5 July 1911 in Groningen Joseph Vles, born 11 December 1876 in Zutphen, a son of Leon Vles and Sientje Snoek. From this marriage, two children were born, namely Hendrina in 1912 and Joseph in 1915.
Lea’s spouse Joseph Vles was a merchant in chemicals, who moved 17 May 1913 with his family to Raamgracht 11 parterre in Amsterdam. Joseph Vles self moved from Amsterdam to Zeist on 19 October 1914, where he was taken ill in the Psychiatric Institution Willem Arntz Hoeve. There Joseph Vles passed away at the age of 38 on 23 December 1914 and he was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen.
When Joseph Vles was taken ill in the W.A. Hoeve in Zeist, Lea Kiek and her daughter Hendrina moved to Groningen, where in 1915 still both their son Joseph Vles was born. It lasted until 29 August 1924 till Lea Kiek remarried Levie Drielsma, born in Leeuwarden 27 September 1893 as son of Jacob Drielsma and Rachel Keizer. On 29 Februari 1936, Lea and Levie and both the children Hendrina and Joseph from Lea’s first marriage, moved from Groningen to Roompotstraat 9 parterre in Amsterdam.
Hendrina (Hennie) Vles married then 4 February 1937 in Amsterdam Nico Albert Kan, a son of Izak Kan and Rachel Kaufman. After the wedding the couple left Amsterdam for Groningen, until they were forced to move again to Amsterdam on 5 March 1942. So they ended up again at Roompotstraat 9 parterre, where Hennie’s mother Lea Kiek, her 2nd husband Levie Drielsma and Hennie’s unmarried brother Joseph Vles lived.
During the large-scale round-ups of early October 1942 the Germans held in Amsterdam, Lea’s son Joseph and her husband Levie Drielsma were arrested and taken to Westerbork, where they had to stay quite some time before they were put on transport to “the East”. Joseph Vles was deported to Auschwitz 16 February 1943 and on arrival there on 19 February, he has been selected to perform forced labor. Joseph Vles eventually lost his life in Auschwitz on 30 April 1943.
Lea’s husband Levie Drielsma, who also came in Westerbork early October 1942 and who stayed later in barrack 57, was eventually deported to Sobibor on 4 May 1943. On arrival there on 7 May 1943 he has been immediately killed.
According her registration card of the Jewish Council, Lea Drielsma self was “very diabetic”. Whether she previously received medical care for this is not known, but Lea Kiek was taken to Westerbok only 15 May 1943, where she was taken ill in the hospital barrack 85. On 1 June 1943 she was put on transport to Sobibor and on arrival there on 4 June 1943, she has been immediately killed.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Lea Kiek, Levie Drielsma and Joseph Vles, residence card of Roompotstraat 9 in Amsterdam; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Lea Drielsma-Kiek, Levie Drielsma, Joseph Vles and the Wikipedia list of jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl.