In August 1942 the 65 year old BETJE ZION-GANS found a hiding place in the local community hospital in Eibergen. Due to her emotionally unstable state, she could not hide in an attic or other narrow and tense spot. Hence the local resistance group suggested she would pose as a kitchen help in the hospital. The local community nurse, Sister Arnold, became responsible for her.
Betje’s three sons Juul, Sallie and Zadok, placed Fl.5000 in the account of the hospital for the care of their mother. Several board members of the hospital were informed about her presence and agreed to take her in.
After the disastrous raid in Eibergen March 26-28 1943, when 19 Jews were betrayed in the underground hiding place in the Hoonesbos, the local mayor obeyed the German rule to deport all remaining Jews from Eibergen to the Dutch transit Camp Westerbork. This rule followed the raid in the forest and also the capture of Betje’s daughter Johanna Rosenbaum-Zion with her two months old baby Max and daughter Mien’s fiancée the Hungarian Palestine Pioneer Istvan Balint in the nearby village of Neede.
The mayor followed the German order on April 4, 1943. The community nurse, Sister Arnold, tried to convince Betje to go into hiding anyway. In fact Sister Arnold knew that Betje’s five other children Juul, Sallie, Zadok, Mien en Frieda were indeed hiding in the village of Eibergen and were moved to different hiding places during the raid. Even Betje’s granddaughter Betty Rosenbaum (born 1941) was hiding under the name of Betty Andriessen across the street from the local hospital, with the Hageman family.
But Betje couldn’t conceive of going into a proper hiding place and probably did not have the emotional ability for all this tension.
Since the big group which was betrayed was transported to Westerbork by truck and lateron by train on March 29, 1943, there was no further organized transportation from the village of Eibergen to Camp Westerbork.
So Betje Zion-Gans went to Camp Westerbork in a taxi, paid for by her own funds.
She was gassed in Sobibor on April 23, 1943, which is the same date as her son-in-law Ephraim Izak Levie Rosenbaum.