History of Sorts

Below is the transcript of a Dutch court case. The defendant, referred to only as Mrs. C., was accused of treason and collaboration during World War II. The Dutch legal system continues to follow this practice today, where defendants’ names are identified only by the first letter of their surname.

The transcript is dated September 7, 1947. Mrs. C. was charged with betraying Jewish families, including Michel Gompers and Bertha Vogel.

I am uncertain about the sentence she received, but I presume she was given the death penalty.

Indictment, Accusation, and Conviction of Mrs. C.
Mrs. C., a resident of Blasiusstraat in Amsterdam, was accused of aiding the enemy during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

The charges against her were as follows:

A: Demonstrating National Socialist allegiance by joining the Dutch People’s Service (NVD) around 1944, displaying NSB (Dutch Nazi Party) posters in her windows, attending NSB meetings, and reading propaganda magazines such as Volk en Vaderland and De Daad.

B: In or around 1943, betraying M. Gompers, his wife, and B. Vogel, thereby exposing them to detention or restriction of freedom by the occupying forces. She allegedly provided the German police with information that led to their arrest on or around August 9, 1943. This act was deemed as aiding and abetting the enemy and as deliberately acting against the interests of the Dutch people.

Testimony of M. Gompers
In an official report dated March 4, 1946, two police officers from the Municipality of Amsterdam recorded the testimony of M. Gompers:

*”During the major Jewish roundup in June 1943, the Germans came to my house on Blasiusstraat. My wife and I were not taken at that time because she had a medical certificate from Dr. Peeters stating she was a carrier of typhus bacilli. From inside my home, I saw and heard Mrs. C. say to a German officer: ‘That woman is not sick; she walks outside all the time.’ The officer replied, ‘That is not your concern. What I do is right.’

I then heard Mrs. C. tell bystanders, ‘We are going to Euterpestraat tomorrow.’ The next day, two men claiming to be from the SD (Sicherheitsdienst) arrived. They read Dr. Peeters’ statement but did not take it with them.

On the evening of August 9, 1943, my wife and I were at home when two SD men arrived. Despite Dr. Peeters’ statement, we were arrested and taken to Euterpestraat. Shortly afterward, we were transferred via the Hollandse Schouwburg to the Jewish Hospital. I later learned that my wife committed suicide by taking poison during her transport to Westerbork. I received official notice of her death on September 19, 1943. I managed to escape from the hospital.”*

Statement of Mrs. C.
At the hearing, Mrs. C. admitted:

*”In 1943, during a raid on Jews in my street, I told the German police, ‘You take away the good Jews and leave the bitches alone,’ while pointing at the Gompers’ house. I had conflicts with the Gompers family because my children, who had been to the East Market, were often teased in the neighborhood.

Furthermore, I resented that many Jewish people I got along with were being taken away, while the Gompers family repeatedly evaded arrest. During that raid, I pointed out their house to the German police. Although they were not arrested that day, they were taken sometime later.

The testimonies against me are unfavorable because I was disliked in the neighborhood. My children were often bullied, and in frustration, I frequently threatened to report people to the German police—but I never intended to follow through.”*

Judgment and Sentencing
On September 9, 1947, Mrs. C. was found guilty of the charges brought against her. The court imposed the following penalties:

Internment for four years, with time already served since her pre-trial detention beginning on June 8, 1945. Her internment was set to end on June 8, 1949.
Loss of voting rights and ineligibility for public office in future elections.
Termination of property administration within three months after her internment ended.

Sources

https://www.joodsmonument.nl/nl/page/32364/bertha-gompers-vogel

https://www.joodsmonument.nl/nl/page/641263/verraad-beschuldigd-veroordeeld