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Isaak De Beer * 1871

Carl-Petersen-Straße 111/Ecke Auf den Blöcken (Hamburg-Mitte, Hamm)

HIER WOHNTE
ISAAK DE BEER
JG. 1871
FLUCHT 1937 HOLLAND
INTERNIERT WESTERBORK
DEPORTIERT 1942
ERMORDET IN
AUSCHWITZ

Isaak de Beer, born on 29 Apr. 1871 in Hoogezand/Netherlands, interned on 28 Nov. 1942 in the Westerbork transit camp, deported on 8 Dec. 1942 to Auschwitz, died on 11 Dec. 1942

Carl-Petersen-Strasse/western corner Auf den Blöcken (formerly: Mittelstrasse 115)

Isaak de Beer, born on 29 Apr. 1871 in Hoogezand, came from the Groningen region of the Netherlands. He returned there with his wife Sientje before the November Pogrom of 1938.

He was the youngest of the five children of Simon de Beer, born in Hoogezand in 1830, and Martha, née Elberg, two years younger. Their oldest son, Daniel, was born in 1858 in Kalkwijk/Hoogezand. He was followed by Israel in 1861, Mozes in 1863, and Grietje in 1868. We know nothing about their childhood and youth.

Professionally, Isaak de Beer worked as a merchant, trader, especially as a cattle dealer, and at times as a tradesman. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he married Sientje Salomon from Vianen in the Utrecht region, four years his junior (born on 26 Apr. 1875). They had only one child, their son Simon, named after his grandfather, born on 12 Apr. 1906 in Sappemeer near Groningen.

The de Beer family came to Hamburg for reasons unknown to us. Their previous residence could not be determined. Their first documented address in Hamburg was Averhoffstrasse 40 on the third floor. On 2 Aug. 1928, Sientje de Beer registered a business as an innkeeper at Valtentinskamp 61 in Hamburg-Neustadt and paid a stamp duty of 20 RM (reichsmark). The trade license was granted to her "without prejudice to any measures taken by the aliens branch of the police.” No revocation of the license is noted.

On 1 Jan. 1929, Sientje de Beer took over the inn from the predecessors, the Küsels, and gave it up two years later, probably due to the world economic crisis. This also affected Isaak de Beer’s professional activities. He joined the Jewish Community in 1930 with his wife Sientje and son Simon, but only paid a one-off contribution until he again achieved taxable income in 1934, which increased until 1937.

The de Beers moved to Mittelstrasse 115 in Hamburg-Hamm, today’s Carl-Petersen-Strasse. At this time, Isaak de Beer was trading in groceries and he was active as a broker; Simon worked as a traveler (sales representative). Until his wedding, he lived with his parents. On 2 June 1936, he married Pauline, née Auerbach, and moved to Eiffestrasse 606 in southern Hamm. On 20 Apr. 1937, their son James was born (see corresponding entry).

Isaak and Sientje de Beer gave up the apartment on Mittelstrasse and moved as subtenants to Hasselbrookstrasse 21 in Hamburg-Eilbek until they gave notice to the authorities of departing Hamburg on 6 Dec. 1937, returning to Hoogezand. Already, on 12 Jan. 1938, Sientje de Beer-Salomon died in hospital in Groningen.

Half a year after the death of his mother, Simon de Beer moved with his family to Amsterdam. There, on 30 Sept. 1938, Pauline de Beer-Auerbach gave birth to their daughter Sientje Jetty, who was named after their two grandmothers.

In May 1940, the German Wehrmacht occupied the Netherlands and gradually concentrated the Jewish population in Amsterdam. The de Beers were not affected by this. Daniel de Beer, Isaac’s oldest brother, died in Utrecht in 1941. The brothers Mozes and Israel lived in the Groningen area until their deportation in 1943. Simon and his family were already living in Amsterdam.

On 28 Feb. 1942, Isaak de Beer married Bertha Hess (born on 13 Apr. 1892), 21 years his junior, from Bunde in the Leer District. As early as 19 June 1942, Simon de Beer was interned in Westerbork with his wife Pauline de Beer-Auerbach, son James, and daughter Sientje Jetty. They were deported to Auschwitz shortly afterward.

Isaak de Beer and his wife Bertha were taken together to the Westerbork transit camp on 28 Nov. 1942 and from there, they were transported directly to the Auschwitz extermination camp on 8 Dec. 1942.

The Dutch authorities set the date of death for the members of the transports from the Westerbork transit camp directly to the Auschwitz and Sobibor extermination camps as the third day after their arrival, i.e., 11 Dec. 1942 for Isaak de Beer and Bertha de Beer-Hess, subject to proof of the actual date of death.

Isaak de Beer’s siblings still alive by then were also murdered in Sobibor and Auschwitz in 1943.

Translator: Erwin Fink
Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

Stand: September 2020
© Hildegard Thevs

Quellen: 1; 4; 5; 8; StaHH 351-11, Wiedergutmachung, 3435, 33235; 376_2, Spz VIII C 1, Gewerbeanmeldungen; Joodsmonument; Historisch Archief, Midden-Groningen, dank E-Mail Margreet Brouwer, 21.7.2018.
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