Gerrit Aardewerk, a son of Mozes Aardewerk and Rebekka van Coevorden, married 21 September 1938 in Amsterdam Betsie Sjouwerman, the daughter of Joseph Sjouwerman and Esther Vega. Afther their marriage, the couple lived at Van Woustraat 40, 3rd floor in Amsterdam but they had to move 31 March 1941 to Thérèse Schwarzeplein 21,1st floor. Their children Ria and Joop , born respectively 24 February 1939 and 12 March 1940, were born at Van Woustraat but Elsa has been born at Thérèse Schwarzeplein.
It is not known where Gerrit Aardewerk stayed during the war, however he survived the Holocaust and remarried in Amsterdam 5 March 1948 the widow of Maurits Wijnschenk (who lost his life 25 January 1945 in Blechhammer), Klara Hamerslag. She and he children Donald and Jo Wijnschenk, survived the Shoah, and already on 19 March 1947 their son Marchel Aardwerk was born.
Gerrit left for the USA in July 1953 and Klara and the other familymembers and also their adopted daughter Suze van der Bijl, followed in November, however, they returned in Amsterdam in 1974. 21 April 1982 they left again for the United States, where they settled in East Haven (Connecticut).
However, Gerrit Aardewerk’s children Ria, Joop and Elsa were registered 5 September 1942 in Westerbork, and very likely together with their mother Betsie Aardewerk-Sjouwerman. Two days later, 7 September 1942 they were put on transport to Auschwitz and on arrival there on 10 September 1942, they all have been killed immediately.
Sources: City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Gerrit Aardewerk, Betsie Sjouwerman, Ria Aardewerk, Joop Aardewerk, Elsa Aardewerk, Klara Hamerslag and Maurits Wijnschenk; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Ria, Joop and Elsa Aardewerk. (no registration cards found in the archive of the Jewish Council of Gerrit Aardewerk and Betsie Sjouwerman) and an addition of a visitor of the website.