Lina Goudsmit (b. 26-Jan-1910 in Amsterdam) was the second child of Eliazer Goudsmit and Esther Blits. When Eliazer Goudsmit died on 07-Jan-1925 in Amsterdam, Lina’s older brother Louis Goudsmit (b. 16-Dec-1907 in Amsterdam) supported the family as an accountant, bookkeeper, auditor and consultant. Lina worked as an accountant as well. By at least 1938, Esther, Louis and Lina all lived together at Eemsstraat 26 huis in Amsterdam.
On 24-Apr-1941, Lina Goudsmit married Barend Voorzanger (b. 15-Aug-1916 in Berlin, DE), at which time she seems to also have stopped working. Concurrent with their wedding, Lina and Barend moved together to Vechtstraat 71 III in Amsterdam, approximately 2 blocks away from Lina’s mother and brother on Eemsstraat.
On 13-Oct-1941, Lina and her sister-in-law Irmgard Voorzanger (b. 12-Feb-1915 in Berlin, DE, d. 16-Jul-1943 in Sobibor) reported to the police that their bikes had been stolen at around 17:10 on that day on the street Enge Kappelsteeg. Lina is recorded on this date as living at Vechtstraat 71 III.
Three months after the deportation of Louis, Esther Blits moved in with her daughter and son-in-law at Vechtstraat 71 III on 30-Oct-1942. She was deported before 25-May-1943 through Westerbork.
At some point during this time, Barend Voorzanger and his sister Imgard assumed the false name of Fallenhoven (sic) in order to continue earning an income and avoid deportation. They began working in a factory of a family member who had an interfaith marriage and therefore could keep his plant open.
On or about 05-Apr-1944, the factory was raided by the Gestapo, presumably on a tip from another Jewish worker who had been arrested and beaten by the Gestapo. When the factory was raided, all passports were inspected and returned, except for Barend and sister Imgard, who were arrested.
Barend had hoped that Lina would somehow receive news of the arrest and move into hiding. Unfortunately however, on 05-Apr-1944 at 16:35 Lina Goudsmit was arrested and detained at the main Amsterdam police station in cell 20C. Both Barend, Lina and Imgard were deported to Westerbork shortly thereafter on or about 18-Apr-1944, where they were detained in Barrack 67. This was one of the punishment barracks of Westerbork and was encircled by an additional barbed wire fence.
On 19-May-1944, both Lina and Barend were deported to Auschwitz among 453 deportees. Many of these individuals had also been hiding in the Netherlands until they were discovered and deported. The train also contained many Roma and Sinti deportees. The first three cars were passenger style cars, which were later disconnected and sent to Bergen-Belsen. The wagons headed for Auschwitz were cattle cars. This train was also connected with a transport that left Belgium on the same day. The prisoners were given a piece of bread, a piece of margarine and a little water for the long journey.
The train arrived in Auschwitz on 21-May-1944, where the prisoners were sorted. Barend Voorzanger described this process in vivid detail. As they opened the train door, ‘we saw a bunch of guys in striped suits and a lot of SS with sticks and rifles, clubbing if you did not get out fast enough’. He described, ‘a guy sitting in a chair, left, left, right’. Barend was in the last group of five to go to the left. His wife Lina ‘went to the right and that was the last I saw of her.’ By the next day, Barend was told about the fires from the chimney from his fellow prisoners, who said, ‘Forget about your wife, forget about your parents, they’re all gone’. Barend Voorzanger was among the 250 men who were separated for labor and received a prisoner tattoo of A-2804. Lina Goudsmit was separated for immediate extermination by gassing. She died on 22-May-1944 at age 34.
Updated 22-Jun-2024
Sources
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Archive Card Louis Goudsmit
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Archive Card Lina Goudsmit
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Archive Card Barend Voorzanger
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Archive Card Irmgard Voorzanger
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Politierapporten (Police Report) Lina Goudsmit 13-Oct-1941
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Politierapporten (Police Report) Lina Goudsmit 05-Apr-1944
ITS-Arolsen 130296679: Judenrat Card Lina Goudsmit
ITS-Arolsen 130392004: Judenrat Card Barend Voorzanger
ITS-Arolsen 129637296: Transfer List from Auschwitz to Dachau (Barend Voorzanger)
ITS-Arolsen 10354484: Personal Files Dachau (Barend Voorzanger)
Kamp Westerbork - Strafbarakken
USHMM: Index to Dutch Married Women Lina Goudsmit
Yad Vashem: Transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz 19-May-1944