Hugo de Grootstraat 70

At the beginning of 1942, David and Clara Sanders let their three children (Eline, 12-12-1932; Marie Lena/Marleentje, 8-10-1934 and Elbert Daan/Bertje) go into hiding at two different addresses. They themselves refuse to disappear, they go on the street without a star, with false identity cards.

When David and Clara are arrested on 26 August 1943, Jewish hunter* Engelbert Kobus tries to find out the addresses where their children are housed. He hits father David with a boxing bracket just as long and just as hard until he has no tooth in his mouth. If it is threatened to mistreat Clara in the same way, Sanders gives the addresses. Kobus goes to Sliedrecht himself. There are the two youngest children, Marleentje and Bertje. Since the spring of 1942 they have been living with the Hollebrands family in the Hugo de Grootstraat, who takes care of them as if their own children are.

A day after the arrest of David and Clara, Kobus reports to the police in Sliedrecht. Accompanied by one of the agents, he goes to Hugo de Grootstraat. When Kobus rings, Mrs. Hollebrands claims fruitlessly that Marleen and Bertje Logés are, children of acquaintances. But Kobus has the personal certificates of the parents in his hands.

After the war, Mrs. Hollebrands tells the police:
"We had had the little ones in the house for over a year and I was very attached to them. Marleentje stood with me with great fear eyes when I packed the suitcase and asked me if that man was an NSB and if it was true that her brother and she had to come with that man. I reassured her and said they would be brought to their parents. My heart broke with all that misery, because I understood what those children were waiting. "

Eline (Elly) is also collected at a farmer in Barchem (in the Achterhoek near the German border). Johan Hollebrands, the Sliedrecht "father" of Marleen and Bertje, becomes so furious that they have taken the two children away from his family, that he travels to Amsterdam and tries to save the Jewish family. He manages to penetrate into the Hollandse Schouwburg, speaks there with the David beaten up and comes up with everything to get them free - to bribery. In the day care center he also sees the three children, who are now together again: "The suitcase with clothes by Marleentje and Bertje had already been stolen. While Bertje, who had a weak health, was in a rough fever. "

Hollebrands made a extreme attempt on Sunday 5 September 1943 and he manages to get David and Clara Veelhuids from the Hollandse Schouwburg and two of the three children from the day care center. But Eline stays behind. At their reception address the four will be picked up again within a few hours and then all the opportunities were gone. David, Clara, Elly, Marleentje and Bertje Sanders go directly on penalty transport and are murdered in Auschwitz on 10 September 1943. Marleentje and Bertje will be 8 and 4 years young.

For this story we used the book "The tragic downfall of the Sanders family" by Dick Verkijk.

* From 1943, employees of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) received a premium for every Jew that would be picked up. In the big cities, some police departments were also eligible for that reward. In Amsterdam, between March and September 1943, the Henneicke column picked up more than 8,000 Jews. For each arrested Jew, the members received at least 7.50 guilders "head money". In the fall of 1944, the premiums had risen to 40 guilders per Jew. During arrests and interrogations, members of the Heinecke column did not shy away from violence.

On Friday afternoon, April 27, 2018 (King's Day), Gunter Demnig laid a stumbling stone for Bertje Sanders and his sister Marleentje around 2 p.m. at the address Hugo de Grootstraat 70. Corrie Smaardijk-Hollebrands, who was of the same age as Bertje and Marleentje during the war, attended the ceremony with her son Joop and gave a speech there. Dick Verkijk, author of the book "The tragic downfall of the Sanders family" also gave a speech. Jansje Stodel closed the ceremony with a word of thanks.

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