Henderina van der Kaars was born at Gorredijk in 1856 as daughter of Eliazer Mozes van der Kaars and Hanna Jacoba van der Woude. 26 November 1887 she married in Leeuwarden David Drielsma, a 30-years old merchant from Leeuwarden, a son of Aron Jonas Drielsma and Kaatje Betje Visser. 15 January 1889 their first child was stillborn. In 1890 followed their daughter Kaatje Betje, who however passed away 9 November 1918 in Leeuwarden, 28 years of age. Their third son Eliazer was killed in the Shoah. Henderina’s spouse David Drielsma however passed away rather young in Leeuwarden, on 17 February 1892, only 34 years old.
The then 26 year of widow Henderina Drielsma-van der Kaars remarried 4 May 1893 in Haarlem Lodewijk Keizer, butcher, also 26 years old, a son of Mozes Keizer and Debora van Kleef. As far has been researched, this couple had a daughter Hanna, born 1897, who married in Schoten (Haarlem-North) 20 November 1922 Maurits van Thijn, 31 years old, butcher and born at Wageningen. It is known that he passed away in Nijmegen 16 November 1943. His wife Hanna Keizer survived the war.
Henderina Keizer-van der Kaars was registered in Camp Westerbork 27 February 1943. Together with her husband Lodewijk Keizer she stayed in barack 70. On the registration card of the Jewish Council of Lodewijk Keizer, the following notes are to read:
21 January 1943 a request for futher information was sent from Camp Westerbork to the Jewish Hospital at Zutphen regarding the illness and the duration of it of Henderina Keizer-van der Kaars, born 14 January 1856. That same date the wanted information arrived and read: The above mentioned woman is Henderina Keizer-van der Kaars, wife of Lodewijk Keizer. She is suffering of age deficiencies, is bedridden and her health is still deteriorating while she is accomodated in the Jewish Hosepital in Zutphen. 26 January 1943 followed by the note: Doctors certificate regarding Henderina Keizer-van der Kaars, showing the situation of health is deteriorating. Provisionally exemted from deportation. 15 February1943 the note was made about a message of the Jewish Hospital about the camp situation. Followed by the note of 1 march 1943 that her luggage was sent to barack 70 on 28 February.
Despite her health-situation, Henderina was still sent to Camp Westerbork where she stayed in barack 70 with her husband Lodwijk Keizer. 2 March 1943 both werd deported to Auschwitz and upon arrival there on 5 March 1943 immediately killed.
Sources: website www.wiewaswie.nl and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Lodewijk Keizer and information provided by Mrs. Marian Pijpstra-Cranenbroek from Haarlem.