Barend Schouten, the second son of Nachman Schouten and Margaretha van West, was born on 22 November 1912 in Amsterdamd and was employed as a hides stripper. He lived at home at Tugelaweg 89 3rd floor but left home with he married on 22 May 1940 Rebecca Buijtekant, a daughter of Isaac Buijtekant and Mietje Krieker. She was born in Amsterdam on 1 October 1916, was employed as seamstress and had one sister and four brothers. As well her parents as her siblings were murdered during the Shoah.
When Barend and Rebecca were married, they found living space with Rebecca’s parents at Kraaipanstraat 69 2nd floor in the Transvaal district of Amsterdam-East. Her brothers Meijer and Nathan lived there too. But on 27 June 1941 they moved to the Amstellaan in Amsterdam-South, where they lived in at no. 84 3rd floor. From there they were called for the so-called “Arbeitseinsatz” and via the Hollands Schouwburg carried off to Westerbork.
However, from the registration card of Rebecca Schouten-Buijtekant could be deduced, that she was granted a temporary and provisional postponement of deportation until 23 July 1943. The reason of this is not known, nor the date she was originally called for the Arbeitseinsatz. According to the transportlists from the Red Cross archives, Rebecca and her husband Barend Schouten have been both deported with “Zug”(train) no. 2, which left Amsterdam Central Station in the night of 25 to 26 July 1942 to Westerbork. Rebecca has received for that a so-called “Biljet Naar Hooghalen” (Train ticket To Hooghalen), which was taken down on her Jewish Council registration card as “7174 BNH 5903”.
The numbers, such as 7174 BNH 5903, appear in July/August 1942 on the registration cards of the Jewish Council for people who have a temporary exemption from deportation. The first numer is the Zentralstelle number. Anyone who had reported his Jewish background according to Regulation 6/41 was given such a number. “BNH” stands for “Biljet Naar Hooghalen”, the train ticket. Then the number of the train ticket. That number was not synchronized with the Zentralstelle number, because people were exempted from deportation and therefore did not use the ticket. (source: Raymund Schütz – Red Cross archivist and the Municipal Archive of Den Haag).
As well Barend Schouten as his wife Rebecca Buijtekant were carried off to Westerbork in the night of 25 to 26 July 1942 and deported to Auschwitz on 31 July 1942. This transport contained 1007 deportees, of whom most of them were put to work in the camp upon arrival there. Of Barend and Rebecca is not known what kind of work they had to do, nor after the war their exact date of death.
Therefore, the Dutch Authorities determined after the war, partly on the basis of research and testimonials of survivors, that Barend Schouten as well his wife Rebecca Buijtekant could no longer be alive after 30 September 1942. The Municipality of Amsterdam then was instructed to draw up certificates of death for both of them in which it should be recorded that that Barend Schouten and Rebecca Buijtekant have died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.
According to the “Sterbebücher of Auschwitz” – the death records of Auschwitz - Barend Schouten was murdered there on 11 September 1942 and his spouse Rebecca Schouten-Buijtekant already there on 21 August 1942. These dates are different from the official dates of death as determined by the Dutch Ministry of Justice after the war. For the time being, the website joodsmonument.nl, list only the dates of death, as published at the time in the "Nederlandse Staatscourant" (Dutch Government Gazette) by the Ministry of Justice.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Nachman Schouten, archive cards of Barend Schouten and Rebecca Buijtekant; Amsterdam residence cards of Kraaipanstraat 69 II and Stalinlaan (formerly Amstellaan) 84 III; the Red Cross Archives/transportlist page 33 of 25 July 1942 Amsterdam Central Station to Westerbork, departing 02.36 h; Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/31 July 1942 and the website Museum and Memorial Auschwitz-Birkenau/Auschwitz prisoners/Barend Schouten and Rebecca Schouten and Dutch certificates of death: Barend Schouten A52-49 nr.283 dd 29-9-1950 and Rebecca Schouten Buijtekant A52-27 nr.152 dd 29-9-1950.