Berta Helena Wagenaar, who was born as the second child of Alexander Wagenaar and Ella Helena Dzialoszynski on 3 September 1921 in Frankfurt am Main, came back to Amsterdam in August 1926 with her parents and her two brothers Lion Mordechai and Abraham, where they resided during the first years at Blasiusstraat 32 1st floor. Berta was a seamstress by profession.
Her father Alexander died at the young age of 37 on 31 December 1930 and was interred on 1 January 1931 at the Jewish Cemetery in Muiderberg. Her mother then moved with the children to Hemonystraat 45 1st floor in mid-February 1931 and a few weeks later, on 10 March 1931, both of Berta's brothers were placed in the Jewish Boys' Orphanage Megadlé Jethomiem, which was located at Amstel 21 and Zwanenburgerstraat 20.
Her brothers were 11 and 6 years old at the time and Berta herself was still 9 years old. Her mother started to provide for both herself and Berta as a boarding house keeper. Berta's brothers Lion Mordechai and Abraham both stayed in the Jewish Boys' Orphanage until they were 18 years of age.
On 17 July 1942, Berta Helena was given a position at the Jewish Council as a youth leader in the after-school youth care department, located at Plantage Parklaan 9. She did not have an official “Sperre” (an exemption of deportation); these were not introduced until September 1942. She did have however an identification card from the Jewish Council with number JR 2354-youth leader.
Her position at the Jewish Council might have been partly contributed to the fact that her mother Ella and brother Abraham - who had already received a put back of deportation on 20 July 1942 - were both provisionally exempt from deportation until further notice. But on 30 April 1943, Berta Helena Wagenaar was quitted from the Jewish Council, after which she and her mother and brother fell prey to deportations to the East.
On 20 May 1943, approximately 750 Jews reported to the military police building at the Muiderpoort station in Amsterdam. They were complying with a measure by Rauter, head of the German SS and the police, that no Jew is allowed to stay in Amsterdam without permission anymore. Berta Helena Wagenaar was also among them and on the “Hopla” transport list of 20 May 1943 from Amsterdam to Westerbork she is listed on page 2 of that list as Berta Helena Wagner, born 3 September ‘21, address Zomerdijkstraat 25.
After she was brought to Westerbork and housed in barrack 55, a message was sent to the Expositur of the Jewish Council on 22 May stating: “Is in possession of “Bescheinigung” of Messrs Rockland. Please let us know the status.” Only on 8 September 1943, the following note was made on her Jewish Council registration card on behalf of the “emigration department”: “further steps have no purpose (6 September 1943).”
The above is abundantly clear, because just three days after the message to the Expositur of the Jewish Council, on 25 May 1943, Berta Helena Wagenaar was deported to Sobibor. This extensive transport contained 2862 deportees, all of whom were murdered in the gas chambers after their arrival there on 28 May 1943, including the 21-year-old Berta Helena Wagenaar.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Alexander Wagenaar, archive card of Berta Helena Wagenaar; Amsterdam residence cards/Wagenaar/ Blasiusstraat 32, Hemonylaan 45, Meerhuizenplein 14 and Zomerdijkstraat 25; website dutchjewry.org/Muiderberg Cemetery/grave Alexander Wagenaar; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Berta Helena Wagenaar; Publication “Vermoedelijk op transport" (Presumably on transport) by Raymund Schütz/Sperre information chapter 3); the archives of the Red Cross, transport lists Amsterdam-Westerbork of 20 May 1943 with on it Berta Helena Wagner (Wagenaar); website annefrank.org/20 Mei 1943 (Dutch language only) and the website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/ transport 25 May 1943.