Biography

About Helena Droomer.

Helena Droomer was the second of the seven children of Benjamin Droomer and Jetje Wallig. One of those children was stillborn, one died in childhood, nearly 3 years old, three others were killed during the Shoah and one brother survived the war. Helena was born on 8 May 1891 in Rotterdam and remained unmarried. She worked as servant maid at many addresses in Rotterdam, Den Haag, London and Amsterdam.

In Decembet 1914 she left Rotterdam for Amsterdam and stayed there about six months in the Women and Childrenhome of the “Society for Help for the Homeless” at Tweede Constantijn Huygensstraat 35. In 1924 she stayed about one month in London and in 1927 she worked among others in the Israelitic Hospital in Rotterdam at  Schietbaanlaan 42. In 1929 she was at the Rijks Kweekschool voor Vroedvrouwen (State Trainings College for Midwives) at Henegouwenlaan 72. The years thereafter she worked  at several addresses in Den Haag till 1932, whereafter she left for Amsterdam and stayed there again with the "Society Help for the Homeless" at Tweede Constantijn Huygensstraat 35.

During the 2nd half of the 1930's, Helena Droomer lived at Roggeveenstraat in the Spaarndammer district of Amsterdam. On 2 July 1942 she ended up in the Rijnstraat 199 1st floor in Amsterdam-South, from where she was taken to Westerbork on 12 September 1942. On 14 September she was deported to Auschwitz and on arrival there on 17 September 1942 immediately killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Sources including the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Benjamin Droomer and Helena Droomer; the Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration card of Helena Droomer; the City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Helena Droomer and two “Bijzondere Registers”(Special Registers) period 1897-1934 regarding Help for the Homeless and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Helena Droomer.

 

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