Elisabeth van Engers was the sixth of the seven children of Nathan Jacob van Engers and Sophia Sanders. She was born in Rotterdam on 27 April 1914 and she worked as a sales lady since 1930 and in later years in Rotterdam and Amsterdam as a housekeeper.
Just like her siblings, Elisabeth lived at home with her parents and left with them on 23 May 1929 for Nijmegen. There she resided with the other members of the family in the Ruysdaelstraat 68, till they all returned to Rotterdam on 31 January 1930 and came to live at the Prins Hendrikkade 55a.
Elisabeth was unmarried but lived in a relationship with Johannes Mulder, an electrical installation engineer, who was born in Putten on 28 November 1892, who had been previously married but divorced in Zeist in 1921. From Elisabeth’s relationship with Johannes Mulder, a son was born on 15 November 1934, named Johan, usually called Joop, who was recognized by both the mother and the father.
On 19 November 1934, Elisabeth left for her own address, Oppert 3b, a side street of the Meent and located in the centre of Rotterdam. Afterwards, more relocations followed like on 30 March 1935 to Benthuizerstraat 55, where she became the neighbour of her sister Hanna Elisabeth, who then lived there at no. 53. On 18 March 1936 she moved to the Halstraat 5, in July 1936 to Hoogstraat 164, in April 1939 to house no.196 and in October 1939 to Kortekade 23b. In November a relocation followed to Goudscheweg 84a and in June 1940 to the Van Meursstraat 20b in the Spangen district of Rotterdam.
On 12 February 1941, Elisabeth and her son left Rotterdam for Zuilen near Utrecht, where they came to live at the Van Egmondkade 2bis but again a removal followed, now from Zuilen to Amsterdam, where Elisabeth was registered on 29 October 1942 as a resident at the Krugerstraat 2 2nd floor in the Transvaal district of Amsterdam-East where Manus Vischjager, his wife Klaatje Cohen and their son Joseph already lived since February 1937. On the date of 29 October 1942, her son Johan (Joop) was unsubscribed from the Peoples Registry of Amsterdam; he remained in Zuilen and did not move with his mother to Amsterdam.
The SS officer Rauter issued a decree on 14 May, in which, with effect from May 21, 1943, Jews were prohibited from staying in Amsterdam, with the exception of those Jews who were granted postponement of the Arbeitseinsatz by means of a Sperre stamp. Jews who were prohibited from staying in Amsterdam had to report to the Marechaussee barracks on the Polderweg on 20 May 1943. (source: De Telegraaf. v.b. Joden 5496A/Het geheugen van Oost).
On the morning of 20 May 1943, Amsterdam-South and a part of the Eastern district of the town were closed down. Twenty members of the “Fliegende Kolonne” and a hundred of the O.D. (Order Service) were unexpectedly summoned and sent from Westerbork to Amsterdam to two o’clock in the night. There, the O.D. assisted with the raid in which thousands of Jews were arrested and the O.D. escorted these people to the Muiderpoort station from where they were transported in the evening to Westerbork. (source: website WO2/secret snapshot).
During this raid of 20 May 1943, also Elisabeth was taken and via Polderweg and Muiderpoortstation carried off to Westerbork. After having stayed for five days in barrack 55, she was put on transport to Sobibor with another 2861 deportees. On arrival there on 28 May 1943, everybody, among them Elisabeth van Engers too, were immediately killed in the gas chambers.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Nathan Jacob van Engers, Elisabeth van Engers and Johannes Mulder; website wiewaswie.nl/wedding and divorce Mulder/Gerbel; the City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Elisabeth van Engers; website Het Geheugen van Oost/razzia 20 Mei 1943; website tweedewereldoorlog.nl/heimelijkkiekje;the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Elisabeth van Engers; the wikipedia listin of jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl and additions from users of this website.