Jewish Cemetery Berkenheuveldreef Vught

In World War II At the Jewish Cemetery at the Berkenheuveldreef in Vught, the first victim of Kamp Vught was buried there. In January 1943, Elias Koopman from Amsterdam, he is the only buried there.

Elias Koopman
Elias was born in Amsterdam on April 2, 1862 as the son of Isaac Emanuel Machiel Koopman (1813-1875) and Rebekka Elias Pothuis (1825-1881).
He married Rebecca Abraham (1861-1925) there on 27-12-1882, their only child daughter Zipporah, was born in 1886 and she died in 1930.
On January 16, 1943, Elias was transferred from the Hollandse Schouwburg in his hometown to Kamp Vught (Konzentrationlager Herzogenbusch), where he succumbed that same day.
He has become 80 years old, on his tombstone it is written "The grave broke his bonds".

Erna and Hadassa Heertjes
Salomon Heertjes (March 3, 1877, Zutphen) became Chief Rabbi for North Brabant and Limburg on December 29, 1907.
In 1911 he married Martha Meijers and together they had 5 daughters, including Erna Rosetta (September 13, 1913) and Hadassa Henriëtte Elvira (November 7, 1923).

Erna dies on January 23, 1945 in Auschwitz extermination camp, just four days before the extermination camp was liberated.
Hadassa was deported from Camp Westerbork on May 4, 1943 to extermination camp Sobibor, where she was murdered immediately upon arrival on May 7, 1943.
In memory of these two daughters, the back of Salomon's tombstone bears the text "Also in memory of his daughters Erna and Hadassa who were deported by the Germans".

Benjamin de Vries, Alida de Vries, Maria Fieyra-De Vries
At the grave of Mathilda de Vries (deceased in 1921?) is a plaque in memory of Benjamin de Vries, Alida de Vries and Maria Fieyra-De Vries.

Maria (April 16, 1887, Groningen), married Abraham Fieijra from Amsterdam, together they had daughter Jenny (December 1, 1912) and son Albert Davy (June 13, 1926).
Maria, Abraham and Albert were separately transported from Camp Westerbork to various extermination camps.
Abraham (died in Sobibór, July 9, 1943) and Maria (died in Auschwitz, March 26, 1944) died immediately after arrival, while Albert was imprisoned in Auschwitz for more than four months before he was murdered there on March 31, 1944, 17 years old .

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Herma de Vries
• Photos: Lennard Bolijn (1, 2), Herma de Vries (3, 4, 5)