Elisabeth Barend was the fourth of the twelve children of Gerrit Barend and Heintje Visser. She was born in Amsterdam on 11 August 1899 and before she got married, she worked as a packer of cigarettes. On 24 July 1924 she married in Amsterdam Levie Beesemer, who was born in Amsterdam on 21 November 1899 as son of Isaäc Beesemer and Anna Plas. The couple had two children, namely Isaäc in 1925, who was usually called Jacques or Sjaki and in 1927 their daughter Henny was born.
Levy Beesemer however had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital even before the birth of his 2nd child. On 20 May 1926 Levie was registered in the Peoples Registry of Apeldoorn and was taken into the Central Israëlitic Psychiatric Hospital “Het Apeldoornsche Bosch” at Zutphensestraat 106 in Apeldoorn. As far as is known, Levie had to-, and remained there for years without leave till the Germand “emptied” the “Apeldoornsche Bosch” in January 1943.
On 20 January 1943, the Order service from Westerbork arrived at the station of Apeldoorn and prepared a freight train with forty wagons and that night, half of the staff fled and went into hiding. In the night of 21 to 22 January 1943 all patients and the remaining staff were carried off in trucks to the waiting train, which departed to Auschwitz the next morning with 1200 patients and 50 members of staff. On arrival there on 25 January 1943 Levie Beesemer and all other deportees were killed immediately in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Elisabeth Beesemer-Barend was on her own from May 1926 and was “head of the family”. She lived with her children at President Brandstraat 56 2nd floor in the Transvaal district of Amsterdam. When possible, her son Isaäc (Jacques of Sjaki), worked as a domestic servant and Henny contributed in the household as a seamstress. And Lena’s father, the 68-year old Gerrit Barend, moved in with her on 30 August 1941. But he left again on 26 February 1942 to the Nieuwe Keizersgracht 110, to the Old People Home of the Dutch Israëlitic Congregation there and the Dutch Israëlitic Hospital (N.I.Z.).
As a 16-year old boy, Isaäc Beesemer was called for the so-called “Arbeitseinsatz” on 12 July 1942, the provision of additional work in Germany and reported in Weserbork on 13 July. Already on 15 July he was put on transport to Auschwitz in the first transport from Westerbork. On arrival there on 17 or 18 July, Isaäc was selected as labourer. Due to the inhumane circumstances and the hardships, Isaäc Beesemer lost his life there rather quick. But those circumstances were unknown by the Dutch authorities after the war. Therefore the Dutch Ministry of Justice ordered the Municipality of Amsterdam to draw up a certificate of death for Isaäc Beesemer, in which is established that he has died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.
Elisabeth Barend and her daughter Henny were arrested in their home and carried off to Westerbork on 5 Sepember 1942 and from there deported to Auschwitz on 7 September 1942. That transport contained 987 deportees and arrived in Auschwitz on 10 September 1942. On arrival there, Elisabeth Beesemer-Barend and her daughter Henny Beesemer were immediately killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Gerrit Barend, archive cards of Lena Barend, Isaäc Beesemer and Henny Beesemer; website Het Geheugen van Oost/aunt Liesbeth and how is went on with aunt Liesbeth and he children; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Elisabeth Beesemer-Barend, Isaäc Beesemer, Henny Beesemer and Levie Beesemer; the Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl and additions and informations of next of kin of the family.