Rebecca Groenteman joined the Hollandia-Kattenburg textile factory in Amsterdam on 20 March 1939. On Wednesday, 11 November 1942, around 4:30 PM, Willy Lages conducted the Sicherheitspolizei raid on the Hollandia factories. All exits were blocked, and the Jewish staff members were taken away that evening. Photographs of all workers taken away that evening, as well as those deported previously, appear in the 'Boek der tranen' [Book of tears].
Several workers were arrested on charges of distributing the underground newspaper De Waarheid on the Hollandia company premises and inciting sabotage of raincoat production for the Nazi forces by slowing the work process or tampering with the conveyor belt. In January 1943 the first group of five stood trial in Utrecht. The second trial against five other employees was cancelled. These five Jews were sent to Westerbork as criminals and deported to Auschwitz from there. Rebecca Groenteman was among them.
//Jewish Historical Museum, Documents collection, inv.nr B1376, 'Boek der tranen' [Book of tears]
B. Braber, Zelfs als wij zullen verliezen. Joden in verzet en illegaliteit in Nederland 1940-1945 (Amsterdam, 1990) 115, 178, reference 71//
Biography