I wish I could tell you a long story about the Rooselaar family, but I can’t. I will, however, convey what is known because it is a chilling tale of evil and destruction.
The Rooselaar family lived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. They were moved or rather deported to Westerbork at some stage. I know this because there are records for 30 March 1943, when the family took the transport train from Westerbork to Sobibor. They arrived in Sobibor on 2 April 1943, where upon arrival, they were all murdered.
The Family
Father Hartog Rooselaar was born in Amsterdam on 23 July 1900. He reached the age of 42. His occupation was that of a furniture maker.
Mother Anna Rooselaar-Presser was born in Amsterdam on 3 July 1904. She reached the age of 38 years.
Son Salomon Rooselaar was born in Amsterdam on 14 September 1930. He reached the age of 12 years.
Son Barend Rooselaar was born in Amsterdam on 30 June 1932. He was 10 years old.
Daughter Estella Rooselaar was born in Amsterdam on 9 July 1936. She was 6 years old.
Son Eduard Rooselaar was born in Amsterdam on 6 October 1938. He was 4 years old.
All six Rooselaar family members were put on the 3 March 1943 transport to Sobibor Extermination Camp. They were not the only ones. In total, there were 1,246 people on that transport.
On 2 April 1943, 1,252 Dutch Jews were murdered at Sobibor. 113 were 18 years of age or younger. Among them, Jacob de Vries was born in The Hague on 13 April 1941. He was 11 days away from his second birthday when they murdered him.
Isidore Kiek born in Hilversum on 17 February 1932. He reached the age of 11 years.
The oldest of those 133 children would have been 97 today, which means they all could have been still alive on 2 April 2022.
On 14 October 1943, approximately 300 Jewish labourers at the camp rose in revolt and killed several SS supervisors and Ukrainian guards. Many inmates were killed during the rebellion or in their attempt to escape. The enemy had executed all who remained on the following day. The Nazis dismantled the installations and planted the area with trees. Only about 50 Sobibor prisoners ultimately survived the war.
Imagine if Sobibor Extermination Camp had remained open war’s end. More than 34,000 Dutch Jews met their death by murder there. Sobibor was closed in November 1943. It was operational for just over 18 months.
Just over 56,000 Dutch Jews met their death by murder at Auschwitz, which closed in January 1945.
sources
https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/tijdlijn/Salomon-Rooselaar/01/65178
https://www.joodsmonument.nl/en/page/158373/hartog-rooselaar
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