Rodetorenplein 9

Flora was born on August 2, 1883 in Smilde. David Bilderbeek was born on May 22, 1875 in Zwolle as the son of Isaac Bilderbeek and Betje Stibbe. He was a merchant and broker. Flora and David married each other in 1939, after both losing their first husband.
Flora passed her midwifery training in 1907 at the State Nursery School for Midwives in Amsterdam. In 1912 she married Isidoor van Gelderen. They lived together in Enschede. Her daughter Judith Johanna Bertha (nickname Judy) van Gelderen was born there on January 8, 1915. In 1917 the family moved to Zwolle. On December 17, 1920, Flora was appointed municipal midwife of Zwolle by the Municipal Executive (Source: Archive of the city of Zwolle 1813-1924, access 701, inv. no. 385). There were three persons with such an appointment in the 1920s. They offered free obstetric care to women who had a certificate from the poor counselor or, after 1935, from the director for Social Aid, the predecessor of the Social Services. She earned 800 guilders a year. Flora was the only Jewish midwife in Zwolle.
Flora's husband, Isidoor van Gelderen, died in 1931. Flora remarried on July 27, 1939 with David Bilderbeek. David had been widower of Sara Zeehandeler since 1936. As far as is known, two children were born from that marriage, both in Zwolle: Betje in 1912 and Godschalk Isaac in 1914.
From their marriage Flora and David lived in a house at Rodetorenplein 9. They lived there rented. On November 22, 1940, Flora was - in accordance with the German measures - relieved of her position and discharged on March 1, 1941. From 27 August 1942 she was no longer allowed to practice her profession.
David and Flora were arrested on 19 November 1942 and transferred to Westerbork. Flora submitted a request there to be allowed to work as a nurse. It is unknown whether that request was granted. A few months later, on February 16, 1943, Flora and her husband were deported to Auschwitz, where they were both murdered on February 19, 1943.
On October 29, 2015, the Stolpersteine were placed in memory of Flora and David by Gunter Demnig himself, the initiator of the Stolpersteine project. During the unveiling, Aart van der Meulen spoke. Among other things, he said the following:
“Flora was the midwife who assisted my mother, Gerrie van der Meulen-Bruggeman, during her first pregnancy and during the delivery. I was born on Thursday afternoon, February 27, 1941 at 10 past four, and more than thirty hours later, on March 1, 1941, Flora was no longer allowed to practice her profession. My mother was the last woman she assisted and I was the last child she gave birth to and to me she is the first human to see me. She was very sad and upset that she was no longer allowed to work. That is why she kept coming to see us afterwards, according to my mother, even when my mother had already risen from childbirth."
In Zwolle-Zuid a street has been named after Flora: the Flora Bilderbeekstraat.

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