Sarphatipark 5

Rachel Messias, who would remain unmarried all her life, was born on 8 February 1882 at Nieuwe Kerkstraat no. 69 in Amsterdam as the daughter of Jechiel Messias and Sara Henriquez Coelho. She has four brothers: Samson (see Mietje van der Stam), Abraham, David, Michael and two sisters: Lea and Rebecca. David, Michael and Rebecca die at a young age.

Rachel, a housekeeper by profession, will live in both Amsterdam and London during her life, but will not live in Amsterdam (Sarphatipark 5 2hg) again until the Nazis invade the Netherlands. Incidentally, the Jewish street name Sarphatipark changes to Bollandpark during the German occupation.

On January 16, 1943, the arrested Rachel is taken by tram from the Hollandsche Schouwburg to Amsterdam Central Station. From here, the persecuted Rachel is transported by train to Station Vught from where she has to walk to Camp Vught. There she and 452 other persons form the first group of Jews to be interned in Vught from Amsterdam. On January 28, Rachel has to be transported to Westerbork again. There she is registered on January 29 and placed in barrack 65. Because of her PIG stamp (member of the Portuguese Israelite Community) and the fact that she appears on the Calmeyer list (Liste von Personen portugiesischer Abstammung ohne ostjüdische Beimischung und nicht mit Ostjuden verheiratet) she remains out of range for some time. Her card from the Jewish Council indicates that Rachel was still in Westerbork (barrack 69) on 26 November 1943 and that, although she was on the transport list, she was not transported to Bergen Belsen on 11 January 1944. Finally, on Friday, February 25, 1944, Rachel leaves Westerbork (then in barrack 70) with transport XXIV/4 to the Ghetto Theresienstadt, where she arrives on February 26, 1944. Ray stays there – as she is also called because of her stay in England – until May 16, 1944. Then the Germans 'thin out' the ghetto to make a good impression during the visit of the International Red Cross. Unfortunately, Rachel is also among those who have to leave Theresienstadt. With transport Ea she arrives on 17 May in her last camp after Vught, Westerbork and Theresienstadt: Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

The infamous selection on arrival does not take place and all persons on the transport end up in the Familienlager Theresienstadt, Bauabschnitt IIb of Auschwitz II-Birkenau. This family camp was created by the Germans for propaganda purposes, to mislead the outside world. The hair does not have to be shaved, the luggage cannot be handed over, civilian clothes can be worn and even education for the children is allowed. Despite these 'privileges', the death rate is as high as in other parts of the camp. The visit to the Ghetto Theresienstadt on 23 June 1944 by representatives of the Red Cross was so positive that a visit to Auschwitz was canceled. As a result, the Nazis no longer need the family camp and the residents are, after selection, employed in other camps or gassed. These murders by gassing take place on July 10 and 11, 1944. Most likely, these are also possible dates of death of Rachel Messias, although we cannot know exactly what happened between her transport from Theresienstadt on May 16 and her stay until July 11 (or later) in the vicinity of Auschwitz.

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