Sara van Kollem married Artur Struch (b. 01-Mar-1907 in Frankfurt am Main, DE) on 05-Jun-1935 in Amsterdam. At the time of the war, Sara and Artur were living one block away from her parents at Vrolikstraat 299 I with their two children Emma (10-Jan-1936 in Amsterdam) and Rosa Bella (b. 10-Feb-1939 in Amsterdam). Artur is listed as a salesman for musical instrument cases and also as a leather worker. On 07-Nov-1941 Artur and his father Leopold were questioned by the police in connection to embezzling money. They had also been accused of this in a case in Sachsen. They were both released upon questioning and not prosecuted. This event occurred well after the occupation of Amsterdam by Germany on 10-May-1940 under the civilian government controlled by the Nazis.
Beginning 09-Mar-1942, Rosa Bella Struch attended a school for the deaf in Amsterdam for 8 Guilders per year. According to the school records, she was 'deaf and dumb.' Additionally, her father Artur Struch is recorded as earning 27.50 Guilders per week as a leatherworker. On 17-Jul-1942, she was deregistered from the school 'as Jew for Germany.'
The family of Artur and Sara Struch, with their children Sara and Rosa Bella were the first household from the family of Simon and Roosje van Kollem to be affected by the deportations of Jews in Amsterdam. Artur, Sara, Rosa Bella and Emma were deported from Amsterdam together to Westerbork, however, the exact date is not known. They were transported all together on the second mass deportation from Westerbork on 16-Jul-1942. This particular transport had special significance, as its arrival in Auschwitz was to be timed with a visit by Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler. It is known that whole families were transported together. It is also documented that 'the majority of the deportees (..) were from the group that had just arrived from Amsterdam on July 16, and a few deportees who had arrived the day before at Westerbork.' The transport consisted of '15 wagons, two passenger cars for the German guards and 13 freight wagons for 70 persons each without toilets.' In all, 2000 deportees arrived the next day in Auschwitz on 17-Jul-1942. After sorting, Artur and Sara were among the 1251 men and 300 women selected for slave labor in the camp. Artur was tattooed with the prisoner number 48361 and Sara received a tattoo between 8801-8999 or 9027-9127. Their two daughters Emma and Rosa Bella were separated from their parents and were among the 449 Jews from the transport who were immediately executed in the gas chambers. The executions on 17-Jul-1942 were watched personally by Heinrich Himmler. Emma (age 6) and Rosa Bella (age 3) were declared dead on 18-Jul-1942.
During his time in Auschwitz, Artur was a patient in the infirmary for sick prisoners at the Häftlings-Krankenbau Auschwitz I - block 28, being released on 03-Aug-1942. His presence in Auschwitz was also recorded in the Zugangsliste (taken upon arrival), the Stärkebuch (daily roll, recording changes to prisoner status) and the Sterberbücher (death certificates). Particularly tragic is that Sara, who died on 30-Sep-1942, and Artur, who died on 12-Aug-1942, must have known that their two daughters were killed in July, 1942.
Sources
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Politierapporten (Police Report) Artur Struch 06-Nov-1941
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Archive Card Artur Struch
Amsterdam Stadsarchief: Archive Card Sara van Kollem
ITS-Arolsen 130382803: Judenrat Card Sara van Kollem
ITS-Arolsen 130382791: Judenrat Card Artur Struch
ITS-Arolsen 506375: Block 28 Infirmary Artur Struch
German Bundesarchiv Gedenkbuch: Artur Struch
Stichting Doven Shoah (Deaf Holocaust): Rosa Bella Struch
Auschwitz Archive: Artur Struch
Auschwitz Archive: Emma Struch
Auschwitz Archive: Rosa Bella Struch
Auschwitz Archive: Sara Struch
Yad Vashem and Xavier Messalati: Page of Testimony Artur Struch
Yad Vashem: Transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz 16-Jul-1942