Abraham Baruch, born 26 February 1896 in Nieuweschans, was a son of the 32-year old Izaak Baruch and the 30-year of age Annechien Goldsmid. Abraham was a livestock trader, just like his father; he married in Nieuwe Pekela Betje de Levie, who was born there on 28 February 1903 as daughter of the livestock trader Levie de Levie and Dientje Nathan. The couple had a daughter Diena, who was born in 1930. All family members of the Baruch family were killed during the Shoah.
Abraham Baruch and his family lived at Professor Rankestraat 8a in Groningen. In this city many Jews lived there, who worked as livestock dealer, butcher or were working in the ready-made clothing industry. The beginning of the German occupation in May 1940 was also the start of the persecution of the Jews. Deportations to Westerbork began in 1942. After a major raid in October 1942, the city of Groningen had only a few Jewish residents left. Also Abraham Baruch, his wife Betje de Levie and their daughter Diena were taken from their home, arrested during that raid and deported to Westerbork, where they arrived about 12 October 1942. After a few days, already on 16 October, they were put on transport to Auschwitz.
This transport of 16 October 1942 contained more than 1700 deportees and made a stop at Kozel, a place located about 80 km west from Auschwitz. There, 570 boys and men between 15 and 50 years old were forced to leave the train to be deployed as forced labourers in the surrounding satellite camps of Auschwitz. Those, who remained in the train were transported onwards to Auschwitz, so also Abraham’s wife and child, Betje de Levie and Diena Baruch. On arrival in Auschwitz on 19 October 1942, they were immediately murdered.
Abraham Baruch belonged to the group of men who had to leave the train in Kozel. He was then 46 years old en ended up eventually in the "Reichsautobahnlager Annaberg". Due to the hardships and the inhumane conditions, Abraham Baruch eventually lost his life there on 30 November 1942.
Because only recently the death records from the labor camps Annaberg and Niederkirch have been found, including that of Abraham Baruch, the Dutch authorities have had drawn up a death certificate for Abraham Baruch already after the war, in which his official place and date of death is established as on 31 March 1944 in Mid Europe.
Sources among others: Arolson archives, registration cards of the Jewish Council of Abraham Baruch, Betje Baruch-de Levie and Dina (Diena) Baruch; website openarchieven.nl; website allegroningers.nl; website toen-en-nu/canon van Nederland/deportaties en de wikipedialijst Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.