Andries Droomer, born 12 March 1919, Henriette Droomer, born 7 January 1921 and Flora Droomer, born 19 January 1925, were children of Nathan Droomer and Grietje Woudhuijsen. They were born in Hilversum, lived in Gouda at the Korte Tiendeweg 9 and Amsterdam at Nieuwe Achtergracht 106 1st floor. Their eldest brother Benjamin was born 17 Augustg 1917 in Utrecht; he was married in April 1940 to Jansje Naarden, a daughter of Mozes Naarden and Lena Turfreijer. Then, there was also the youngest sister, Mary Rachel, who was born on 16 December 1928 in Amsterdam.
Andries Droomer, married on 21 January 1942 Zlata Laks in Amsterdam, born at Bilky in Czechoslowakia on 16 May 1915 as a daughter of Marton Laks and Mali Neuma. Since 1937 she has arrived in Amsterdam and obtained the Dutch Nationality.
Andries, his wife Zlata and his sisters Henriette and Flora Droomer obviously have responded to the call for the so-called “provision of additional work in Germany” – the “Arbeitseinsatz”; it turned out that they had reported already on 17 July 1942 in Westerbork, were put on transport on 21 July with 927 other deportees to Auschwitz and on arrival there on 23 or 24 July, selected to perform “labor”.
The situation there was inhumane and if people didn’t loose their lives from diseases, hardship of mistreatment, then mostly the gas chamber was waiting. Sometimes, the Jewish Council was informed by the “Standesamt Auschwitz” – the Peoples Registry of Auschwitz – about a death; as with Andries Droomer, who would have died on 23 September 1942 as a result of an intestinal catarrh and thyphus, or as with Henriette Droomer, who is said to have died as a result of influenza on 26 September 1942. These dates have been adopted by the Dutch authorities as official dates of death.
As the Jewish Council had no information received from the “Standesambt Auschwitz” about the death of Zlata Droomer-Laks and Flora Droomer, the Dutch Ministry of Justice ordered the Municipality of Amsterdam after the war, to draw up certificates of death for Flora Droomer and for Zlata Droomer-Laks in which has been established that they both have died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.
With the date of 30 September 1942, it must be taken into account that this is a legal date, established by the Dutch government after the war, but that the actual date of death was not known at that time and may have occurred at an earlier time. From testimonies of survivors who were familiar with the circumstances there, it has been established that the date of 30 September 1942 should be read as "no longer alive after 30 September 1942".
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Nathan Droomer, Grietje Woudhuijsen, Benjamin Droomer, Jansje Naarden, Andries Droomer and Zlata Laks; The Regional Archive Mid-Holland (www.samh.nl)/family registration card of Nathan Droomer; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Andries Droomer, Zlata Droomer-Laks, Henriette Droomer and Flora Droomer.