Catharina Soep, the elder of the twins of Meijer Soep and Anna Vogel, was born on 15 March 1911 half an hour later than her sister Elisabeth. Her brother Isidoor was not born until 28 August 1920. Catharina was a tailor by trade and Isidoor was a presser. They lived at home with their parents and after moving from Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 10, their address on 5 March 1941 had become Amstel 35 1st floor.
Catherina Soep and her brother Isidoor already received a call-up for the deportation transport on 24 July 1942, but (for unknown reasons), on 25 and 26 July they obtained a temporary postponement of deportation via the Jewish Council. Reason why new transport tickets to Westerbork must be issued to them: a BNH – a “Biljet Naar Hooghalen” (Ticket To Hooghalen). For Catharina BNH 8306/6854 and for Isidoor BNH 7943/6067.
From Westerbork, deportation still followed on 31 July 1942, a transport of in total 1007 deporteed, which must have been arrived in Auschwitz on 2 or 3 August. Among thema lso Catharina and Isidoor Soep.
Nothing else has become known about Catharina Soep, except that her name appeared on the Westerbork -> Auschwitz transport list of 31 July 1942. What happened to her after arrival, whether she was put to work anywhere in the camp and where, or when exactly she lost her life in Auschwitz is uncertain.
After the war, the Dutch authorities determined, partly on the basis of research by the Dutch Red Cross and testimonials from survivors, that Catharina Soep could no longer be alive after 30 September 1942 under the appalling conditions there. The municipality of Amsterdam was then instructed to draw up a death certificate for her, which states that Catharina Soep died on 30 September 1942 in Auschwitz.
More is known about Isidoor Soep; he arrived in Auschwitz at the same time as his sister Catharina, but was selected for “labour” and received prisoner number 54873. Nothing is known about his “work” in the camp, or to which “kommando” (command) he was employed. However, the surviving records of Auschwitz show that Isidoor (probably around mid-September 1942) was admitted to the prisoner hospital in Block 28, and that he was murdered there on 19 September 1942.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, birth certificates of Catharina and Elisabeth Soep, family registration card of Meijer Soep, archive cards of Catharina Soep and Isidoor Soep; Info BGH/Biljet naar Hooghalen by Raymund Schütz (dutch language only); the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Catharina Soep and Isidoor Soep; the Wikipedia website “Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland”/31 July 1942; website Museum and Memorial Auschwitz Birkenau/ Auschwitz Prisoners/Isidoor Soep and his certificate of death, made out in Amsterdam on 24 July 1946, nr. 21 from the death register 1946-9/folio 4verso..