Esther Appel. Born 18 April 1868 in Amsterdam as daughter of Simon Barend Appel and Naatje Mot, married 9 November 1887 in Amsterdam Meijerr Hartog van der Molen, who was born 26 August 1859 in Amsterdam as son of David Hartog van der Molen and Duifje Levie Tobias. The couple had nine children, namely David, Simon, Naatje, Duifje, Bennie, Amalia, Rachel, Louis and Abraham. Five of those children were killed in the Shoah.
Meijer Hartog van der Molen however passed away 25 November 1930 and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen two days later. Esther Appel on the other hand has been killed in the Shoah. After the passing of her husband, she lived in with her daughter Naatje and son-in-law Isaäc Liefman, who lived in Plantage Badlaan 14 in Amsterdam per 15 September 1931. The Liefman family however moved rather frequently; since September they changed addresses still three times – to Johann Keplerstraat – to Mr. P. Arntzeniusweg and to Maritsstraat – but afterwards, from January 1937, Esther herself moved also another ten times till she found room with the Kooker-Elburg family in Uiterwaardenstraat 374 parterre, her last known address.
On 9 February 1943, she was taken from there to Westerbork where she ended up in barrack 63. Two days later, on 11 February she was taken ill in the hospital barrack 84 and after she was recoverd, she was put on transport on 16 February to Auschwitz. On arrival there on 19 February, Esther van der Molen-Appel has been immediately killed.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Meijer van der Molen, archive card of Esther Appel and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Esther van de Molen-Appel.