Branca Barend, born 11 January 1911 in Amsterdam, was a daughter of David Barend and Esther Wijnschenk. She married 26 July 1934 in Amsterdam Maurits Bierscheni, born 26 March 1908 in Amsterdam as son of Levie Bierman and Sara Italiaander. Maurits Bierman was ice cream maker and holder of an ice cream parlor. Besides that, he was also a diamond worker and diamond dealer. His latter profession appeared to be baker. Branca and Maurits had two children, namely Suze in 1937 and Erna Irene in 1941. The complet family was killed in the Shoah.
After their wedding, Branca and Maurits lived in at ‘s-Gravesandestraat 34 with Branca’s parents but on 9 April 1936 the family moved to Egelantierstraat 1-bis in Utrecht. In 1937 they moved back to Amsterdam, where they ended at President Steynplantsoen 9 1st floor, but went to Utrecht again where they arrived 15 June 1938 in the Johannes Uitenbogaertstraat 2-bis A in Zuilen. After having shortly returned to Amsterdam in 1939, where they lived in with Branca’s parents at ‘s-Gravesandestraat 34 and then they have lived with Branca and Rosette Wijnschenk at Plantage Kerklaan 32 3rd floor, they left again on 17 April 1940 for Johannes Uitenbogaertstraat 2-bis A in Zuilen.
In May 1942 when the yellow “Star of David” (Jewstar) was mandatory, the Jews who lived outside the capital were also forced to move to Amsterdam. Therefore, Maurits Bierman and his wife and children ended up again in Amsterdam, where they found shelter with Branca’s brother Salomon Barend and his wife Elisabeth Dresden in the Eemsstraat 44 1st floor. Not long afterwards, on 3 September 1942, their last removal followed to ‘s-Gravesandestraat 34 1st floor, where also Branca’s parents David Barend and Esther Wijnschenk lived.
On 24 February 1943, Maurits Bierman, his wife Branca Barend and their daughters Suze and Erna Irene were taken from ‘s-Gravesandestraat to concentration camp Vught and from where they were transferred 7 June with the so-called Children transport to Westerbork. They were not directly deported after arrival in Westerbork but had to stay in barrack 62, till 31 August 1943, the date they were all put on transport to Auschwitz. On arrival there on 3 September 1943, Branca Bierman-Barend and her daughters Suze and Erna Irene were immediately killed but Maurits Bierman was selected to perform forced labor. It appeared from his certificate of death, drawn up by the City of Amsterdam that the Dutch Ministery of Justice after the war has established that Maurits Bierman has died in Auschwitz on 31 March 1944.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Maurits Bierman, archive cards of Maurits Bierman and Branca Barend; Wikipedia listing of Jew Transports from the Netherlands; certificate of death of Maurits Bierman in register A82-folio44, no.254 dated 19 July 1951 and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Maurits Bierman, Branca Bierman-Barend and their daughters Suze Bierman and Erna Irene Bierman.