Aäron Groen, born 20 October 1934, was the youngest child of Jacob Raphaël Groen and Branca van Lochem. Their first born son was also an Aäron, born in Amsterdam in 1926 but died two years later in Borgerhout (Antwerp).
Aäron had an two year older sister Jetje and an older brother Herman, who was hospitalized on 19 October 1942 in the Central Israëlitic Psychiatric Hospital “Het Apeldoornsche Bosch” after the passing of their mother on 13 September 1942. Their father was in Westerbork on 30 October 1942 and Aäron and Jetje then were completely on their own.
It is not entirely clear whether Jetje was also taken care of by family or whether she had been given a hiding place. Aäron, on the other hand, was housed in the family of a sister of his mother, Judic van Lochem, who was married to Nathan Engelsman and lived in the Danie Theronstraat 21 in Amsterdam-East. In the Peoples Registry was made a note for Jetje, as well as Aäron on 4 December 1942 that they were V.O.W. (Vertrokken-Onbekend-Waarheen – translated: Left- Unknown – Whereto) and on 1 November 1943 Aäron was officially and administratively transferred from the Peoples Registry of Amsterdam to that of Westerbork.
Aäron’s uncle, Nathan Engelsman had a “Sperre” and was exempted from deportation for the time being because he was “indispensable” for the diamond industry. He was a diamond polisher and had a so-called “diamond stamp”. Also Aron’s aunt Judic and cousins Esther and Eveline were exempted from deportation because of their father. But on 20 June 1943, during the large-scale and secretly prepared raid on Jews, Judic Engelsman-van Lochem, Esther, Eveline and Aäron were arrested and carried off to Westerbork where they all ended up in barrack 58.
On 10 July 1943, Eveline Engelsman was sent from Westerbork to Vught where they stayed till June 1944. She was a furrier and presumably employed at the fur- and clothing company Escotex in the camp. She has been deported to Auschwitz on 3 June 1944, together with all the men and women of the Philips Command. In the end, Eveline has survived the Holocaust and via Sweden, she returned in Amsterdam.
But Nathan Engelsman, his wife Judic van Lochem, his daughter Esther and also Aäron Gron, were put on transport on 18 January 1944 from Westerbork to Theresienstadt. Of the nearly 5000 Jews who were deported from the Netherlands to Theresienstadt, almost 3000 were transferred to Auschwitz, among those Aäron’s aunt Judic and cousin Esther Engelsman and also Aäron himself. They were killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau on 7 July 1944 but Nathan Engelsman lost his life somewhere in Mid Europe on 29 February 1945.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Aäron Groen, family registration cards of Raphaël Groen, Jacob van Lochem and Nathan Engelsman; residence card Danie Theronstraat 21 Amsteram; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Aäron Groen, Nathan Engelsman, Judic Engelsman-van Lochem, Esther and Eveline Engelsman; website meeroverde holocaust.nl-Theresienstadt; Wikipedia listing jodentransportenvanuit Nederland.nl and the certificate of death for Aäron Gron, dated 31 Oct. 1952 from the A-register, fol.15v- nr. 81.