Belia Barendse was the youngest of the five children of Isaaac Barendse and Sophia van Gich. She was born 16 January 1907 in Rotterdam - six months after the passing of her father – and married there 12 November 1930 Salomon Boekbinder, shop assistant, who was born on 1 March 1906 in Rotterdam as son of Meijer Boekbinder and Mietje Bosman, and on 3 April 1932 their son Meijer was born.
The Boekbinder family lived at different addresses in Rotterdam and in Hillegersberg, but on 12 March 1937 their address was Weenaplein 5c in Rotterdam. However, after the bombardment on Rotterdam of 14 May 1940, the family moved into a house in the Lumeystraat 30 in Rotterdam-Blijdorp.
On 31 July 1942, Salomon Boekbinder, his wife Belia Barendse and their son Meijer were registered in Westerbork, presumably having responded to the call for the so-called “provision of additional work in Germany” (Arbeitseinsatz). Belia Boekbinder-Barendse, together with her son Meijer were put on transport already on 3 August 1942 to Auschwitz and on arrival there they were both immediately killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Also Salomon Boekbinder was put on transport to Auschwitz on 3 August, together with his wife and son; but after the selection upon arrival there on 5 August, he has been deployed as forced labourer there. However, it is not known on which date exactly he has lost his life there, nor under what kind of circumstances. Therefore, the Dutch Ministry of Justice has ordered the Municipality of Rotterdam after the war to draw up a certificate of death for Salomon Boekbinder, in which is established that he has died on 30 September 1942 in Auschwitz.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Benjamin Barendse and Salomon Boekbinder; website wiewaswie.nl/wedding Boekbinder/ Barendse; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Salomon Boekbinder, Belia Boekbinder-Barendse and Meijer Boekbinder; the Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl and the certificate of death made out in Rotterdam for Salomon Boekbinder, inventory 1950V2-folio V2-034, no. 1950.1445.