Hester van Leeuwen was the daughter of Hugo van Leeuwen and Sara Kostman. She was married to Alexander Hes. The couple had at least four children: Josina, Anna, Hugo eand one child that survived the war. Alexander Hes died in 1936 and is buried at the Jewish cemetery at Zaltbommel.
On 19 November 1942, Hester Hes-van Leeuwen was transfered to Westerbork, together with three of her children and their families. Several days later they were all killed in Auschwitz. The fourth child managed to survive by going into hiding.
C. Frankenhuis-van Scheijen, 'De vier begraafplaatsen van Zaltbommel. De geschiedenis, de graftekens en de begravenen' (Zaltbommel 1994) 82-84
In addition, a Jokos file (number 7673) on this household is at the Amsterdam Municipal Archive. Access is subject to authorization from the Stichting Joods Maatschappelijk Werk.The Jokos file reveals that a claim was lodged for compensation for valuables surrendered to the Lippmann-Rosenthal looting bank (L-claim, number 5141/18756).
A memorial in Zaltbommel commemorates the Jewish victims of this town. More information on this memorial can be found (in Dutch) on the website of the Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei.
Biography