Mietje Beer was a daughter who was born in the 2nd wedlock of Nathan Hermanus Beer (1836-1921) and Paulina Scheffer (1851-1927). From May 1888, the Beer family lived at Jacob van Campenstraat 83 in Amsterdam, where Mietje was born six months later, on 10 November 1888. She remained unmarried and worked as a seamstress.
In June 1926 Mietje settled in The Hague; she lived among others at Oranjeplein 59, Stationsweg 22 and Spaarnestraat 13. But on 6 September 1928 she moved to Schiedamsesingel 44a in Rotterdam, where she also found accommodation there. Mietje worked as a seamstress too in Rotterdam. However, she moved several times to other addresses, where she found living space, such as at Beijerlandselaan 80a, Boreelstraat 51b, Binnenweg 178a.
On 4 July 1938 she moved again and found living space with Sientje Manasse at Bulgersteijnstraat 48a. However, on 14 May 1940, this street was completely destroyed during the bombing of Rotterdam. After the destruction, the street name "Bulgersteijnstraat" was withdrawn by the Municipality of Rotterdam in 1942.
After the bombardment of 14 May 1940, Mietje's landlady Sientje Manasse left for Zaandam in June and Mietje was registered at Schiekade 42a on 17 June 1940. At that address, Mietje Beer was registered by the Jewish Council in 1941.
The deportations of Jewish Rotterdammers and Jews from the South Holland islands started from Loods 24 on 30 July 1942. During the Second World War, the German occupier used the warehouse as a gathering place for deportations. Nearly 7000 people were deported and murdered in eight transports. (source google/deportations Rotterdam).
Notes on her registration card from the Jewish Council show that the descission to deport Mietje Beer was said to have been provisionally "rescinded" on 8 August 1942, although calls for the so-called "Arbeitseinsatz" had already started on 30 July 1942. However, that "rescission of deportation" or postponement thereof, was but of a temporary nature.
But the response of the Jewish Rotterdammers to those calls turned out to be far too poor for the occupier, and they took other measures. People were arrested through raids; streets were closed and people were arrested on the street or taken from their homes. The first raids took place on 16 September and 2, 4 and 8 October 1942, and Mietje Beer may have been arrested during the raid of 2 October 1942 and taken to Westerbork.
On 12 October 1942, Mietje Beer was deported from Westerbork to Auschwitz. Quite a lot is known about the fate of this very large transport (1711 people), partly because letters were received from a particularly large number of deportees, both men and women, although not from Mietje Beer.
It emerged from the Red Cross investigations already made in 1953 about the direct deportation transport from Westerbork to Auschwitz of 12 October 1942, that from this transport only can be assumed that all women, except those from whom letters were received, upon arrival were immediately killed by gassing on or about 15 October 1942.
This was the fate of Mietje Beer; After arriving in Auschwitz on 15 October 1942, she was murdered immediately in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. From later notes on her registration card from the Jewish Council, I appeared that the Rotterdam Jewish Council was informed on 15 November 1942 that her identification would be returned because she was meantime transferred…..
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, peoples registration register Jacob van Campenstraat 83; the Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration card of Mietje Beer; the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Mietje Beer; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Mietje Beer; website Erfgoed Joods Rotterdam/raids 1942; Wikipedia website Loods 24; The Council of Rotterdam/Advisory Committee on Street Names and Memorials/Bulgersteijnstraat and the archives of the Rec Cross, publication “Auschwitz III” edited October 1953 pages 74-79 and the Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/12 October 1942.