Saartje van Bever, born in 1913 in Rotterdam, was a daughter of Samuel Levie van Bever and Mietje van Spier. 5 September 1934 she married the non-Jewish Jacobus van Bergen in Rotterdam, a son of Arie van Bergen and Elizabeth Petronella van den Bosch. The couple had two children, namely Elizabeth Petronella in 1934 and Mietje in 1938. Presumably, both the children have survived the war.
From her registration card from the Jewish Council it appeared that Saartje van Bever had been divorced Jacobus van Bergen, probably after 1938. Other notes, made on her card on arrival 10 April 1943 in Westerbork, showed that she had “two non-Jewish” children, of whom one child of 2 years old was left behind in Rotterdam (presumably born 1940/41), and the other child of 1 year of age, came with her mother in Camp Westerbork. This child was Wilhelmina Jacoba Cornelia van Bever, born 30 March 1942. The biological father of both these children was the non-Jewish Leendert Voortman (who was married 31 October 1928 to Lena Lipschits from Breda). There is nothing further known about Lena Lipschits and Leendert Voortman.
Saartje van Bever and her little daughter Wilhelmina were deported from Rotterdam to Westerbork 10 April 1943 where they had to stay in barrack 70. Wilhelmina van Bever has died in Westerbork 12 June 1943 and was cremated there 15 June. The urn with her ashes was placed on the Jewish cemetry in Diemen.
However, since the arrival in Westerbork, Saartje has made every effort to prevent deportation and to save the child. Among other things, the notes on her cards between 12 April and 17 June showed, that exemption from deportation was not possible because Saartje van Bever was divorced but such a request for “the child” could be possibly made because she was G1, (Mischling Ersten Grades = half Jewish 1st grade), for which the following documents were required as soon as possible:
Proof that the father Leendert Voortman had two aryan fathers;
The birth certificate of the child;
A so-called “negative declaration” from the Jewish Congregation of Rotterdam for the child;
A notarial act or a certificate of acknowledgement from the father.
On 5 May, all necessary documents arrived but one: the acknowledgement of the child by Leendert Voortman because he was in Berlin.
On 5 June, a request was made to the widow L. Voortman-Lipschits, residing Crooswijk 6 Rotterdam, to hand over the following documents to the Jewish Council of Rotterdam: the certificate of being Aryan of Leendert Voortman as well the certificate of acknowledgment of Wilhelmina, which has been done 8 June 1943. On 17 June, all “descendancy certificates” has been received.
On 5 July, the latest note was made on Saartjes registration card which read: Further steps to obtain the requested exemption of deportation have no use as the child in question had died 12 June. The request has been denied.
Eventually, after two months of effort and uncertainty about the outcome of her requests, Saartje van Bever was deported to Sobibor on 13 July, where she was killed on arrival on 16 July 1943.
City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Jacobus van Bever and Leendert Voortman; website wiewaswie.nl, wedding Van Bergen/Van Bever; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Saartje van Bergen-van Bever; website alledrenten.nl, certificate of death for Wilhelmina Jaoba Cornelia van Bever, document 350 and an addition of a visitor of the website.