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Esther Troeder

Esther Troeder was an office worker at Opekta.

Person

Atelier J. Merkelbach. Stadsarchief Amsterdam
  • Esther Wertheim-Troeder
  • Born on: March 29, 1923
  • Born in: Amsterdam, Nederland
  • Died on: July 2, 1943
  • Died in: Sobibór, Polen

Esther Troeder, 1942

Atelier J. Merkelbach. Stadsarchief Amsterdam

Publiek Domein

Esther Troeder was born on 29 March 1923, as the daughter of Hijman Troeder and Saartje Troeder-Voet. She was an only child in a Jewish family and lived at Waterlooplein 85-III in Amsterdam during her youth.[1]

In the mid-1940s, Esther joined Opekta and/or Pectacon. Little is known about Esther's time at Otto Frank's company, but in some photos taken in May 1941 she can be seen with a number of her colleagues, including Bep Voskuijl and Miep Gies, in the office at Prinsengracht 263.[2]

Esther was also present at the wedding of Jan Gies and Miep Santrouschitz on 16 July 1941. In two of the wedding photos, Esther can be seen walking next to Anne Frank.[3] Esther was often mistaken for Margot Frank. However, that day Margot was ill and therefore not present at the wedding. Edith Frank also stayed home to care for her daughter.[4]

Due to the compulsory Aryanization of Jewish companies and the forced dismissal of Jewish employees, it was impossible for Esther to continue working at Opekta at the end of 1941. According to Miep Gies, Esther had already left before Otto Frank discussed his plans to go into hiding with her. After Esther was forced to leave, Miep lost touch with her.[5]

On 12 August 1942, Esther married Meijer Wertheim, a leather worker from Amsterdam. Six months later they moved in together at Tugelaweg 95-I, before moving again two months later to Pretoriusplein 5-I.[1]

They did not live there long either, because on 20 June 1943, Esther and Meijer were arrested and deported to Camp Westerbork. In Westerbork, Esther was sent to barrack 67. The same penal barrack where the Frank family ended up one year later. A stricter regime applied in this barrack. Many people that had been in hiding were therefore placed there. Why Esther as well is unclear. Her husband Meijer was not in one of the penal barracks.[6]

Nine days after their arrival in Westerbork, Esther and Meijer were deported to Sobibór extermination camp. They were both murdered there on 2 July 1943, immediately after arrival. Esther was 20 years old at the time.[7]

Source personal data.[1] Addresses in Amsterdam: Waterlooplein 85-III, Iepenplein 18-III, Tugelaweg 95-I, Pretoriusplein 5-I.

Footnotes

  1. a, b, c Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Dienst Bevolkingsregister, archiefkaarten, toegang 30238, inv. nr. 820: archiefkaart E. Troeder.
  2. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), reg. code A_Voskuijl_III_036; A_Voskuijl_III_037; 077 A_Gies_III_031.
  3. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code A_Gies_III_002; A_Gies_III_003.
  4. ^ Miep Gies & Alison Leslie Gold, Herinneringen aan Anne Frank. Het verhaal van Miep Gies, de steun en toeverlaat van de familie Frank in het Achterhuis, Amsterdam: Bert Bakker, 1987, p. 72.
  5. ^ AFS, Getuigenarchief Gies, interview Jan en Miep Gies door Wouter van der Sluis en Janrense Boomsma, mei 1992, deel 3, p. 2 en 15.
  6. ^ David Lear, Esther Troeder: a biographical sketch, Monee, IL: Firestone Books, 2022, p. 55-58; Arolsen Archives - International Center on Nazi Persecution, Bad Arolsen, Incarceration Documents, Document ID: 130398704: Meijer Wertheim.
  7. ^ Arolsen Archives, Incarceration Documents, Document ID: 130398613: Ether Wertheim-Troeder.