Jacques Swart, polisher and diamond trader, born in 1910 in Amsterdam, was the 3rd child of Abraham Swart and Sophia Swaab. On 29 July 1937 he married Grietje Neeter from Amsterdam, a daughter of Jacob Neeter and Judik Woudstra from Leeuwarden. The couple had no children,.
Jacques Swart and his wife lived at Deurlostraat 2 2nd floor in Amsterdam. As a result of his profession in the diamond industry and as diamond trader, he was exempted from deportation until further notice (“gesperrt bis auf weiteres”). And for the time being, also his wife Grietje Neeter was exempted from deportation: she was employed at the Jewish Council as carer and district attendant at the Office of Social Affairs at Houtmarkt 10 (previously and later known again as Jonas Daniel Meijerplein).
However, the 20th of June 1943 during the in secret prepared raid “Grossaktion”, Jacques Swart was fetched, arrested and deported to Westerbork where he had to stay in barrack 57. On 14 September 1942 he was put on transport to Auschwitz with another 1005 deportees. On arrival 17 September, Jacques probably has been selected for working in the Buna Werke, in the production of synthetic rubber. The Buna Werke was a subsidiary of the IG Farben company. During WWII, the Buna Werke had a settling in the concentration camp Auschwitz-Monowitz (Auschwitz III).
It appeared from notes, made on his registration card of the Jewish Council, that Jacques Swart was admitted in the prison hospital of Auschwitz-Monowitz (Häftlings Krankenbau Auschwitz III) 21 November 1943. It was a hospital where male prisoners of Monowitz-Buna stayed, who were employed in the factory for production of synthetic rubber, but due to disease or accident were taken in that camp hospital. As a result of the horrible working conditions many inmates were sent there, among them also Jacques Swart on 21 November 1943. After about 10 days, on 1 December 1943, Jacques Swart was discharged from this hospital and had to do forced labor again, which he did till the early weeks of February 1944. Then he was sent from Monowitz to the gas chambers of Birkenau, where he was killed on 15 February 1944.
His wife Grietje Neeter, who was exempted from deportation too as a result of her function at the Jewish Council, has managed to escape deportation and survived the Holocaust. Notes on her registration card of the Jewish Council, as well on her archive card from the City Archive of Amsterdam showed, that she was registered 15 October 1945 at the address Noorder Amstellaan 117 2nd floor in Amsterdam. The name of this street has been changed 8 May 1946 into Churchilllaan. 15 June 1947 she married Joseph Levie from Arnhem.
City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Jacques Swart and Grietje Neeter; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Jacques Swart and Grietje Neeter; List of Jew-transports from the Netherlands re. the transport of 14 September 1943; website Buna Werke Schkopau and website Auschwitz.org.