Herbert Willem Spijer

​Herbert Willem Spijer was the son of Hartog Spijer (1885-1944) and Sophia Vorst (1890-1986).^[1] His father worked as a civil servant at the Amsterdam municipal office.^[2] Herbert had a two-year-older sister: Elisabeth (Elleke) Catharina Spijer (1924-1973).^[3]

Because Jewish students and teachers were banned from attending regular schools as of 1 September 1941, Herbert had to attend the Jewish Lyceum in Amsterdam. He aspired to become a doctor and attended the H.B.S.-B department.^[4] He was in class 4B2, the same class as Margot Frank.^[5]

​ In August 1942, the Spijer family had to go into hiding.^[4] Member of the resistance Jan Hemelrijk asked Eberhard Rebling (the husband of Rebekka “Lien” Brilleslijper) in September 1942 to take Herbert out of Amsterdam and temporarily house him in 't Hooge Nest (the High Nest), the Rebling-Brilleslijper home in Bergen aan Zee. He then went into hiding in Driehuis, near Santpoort, at the home of history teacher Derk Johan Wansink. Wansink was a friend of Jaap Hemelrijk, who, like his son Jan, was involved in the resistance.^[6] In November 1942, Rebling set out once more and brought Herbert's sister Elleke safely from a hiding place in Amsterdam to the Wansink family in Driehuis.^[7] Herbert had been suffering from an illness since 1941 and spent the last eight months of the war in hospital in Haarlem.^[4]

Herbert's mother had been in hiding since July 1943 in St. Pancras in the house of Jaap Verweel, his sister Barbara and brother Klaas. They said that the woman was their housekeeper. During the last six months of the war, the Verweels also hid Elleke in their house.^[8] She had to leave her hiding place in December 1944 when the Germans evacuated the population around IJmuiden, Velsen and Driehuis.^[6]

During Sophia's time in hiding, her husband Hartog also found shelter in St. Pancras for ten weeks. When Herbert's father no longer felt safe there, he was taken to a hiding place in the Soerelse Bossen between Nunspeet and Vierhouten. Around eighty people were in hiding in the so-called "Verscholen Dorp" (Hidden Village) or "Pas-Op kamp" (Watch-Out camp). Among them were Jewish families, Dutch people who refused to work in Germany, and a German deserter. At the end of October 1944, the camp was discovered by the SS. Hartog Spijer was captured along with seven other Jewish people in hiding and shot.^[9] His wife and children survived the war.^[6]

After the war, Herbert studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam. When the symptoms of his illness reappeared, he had to spend several months in hospital again in 1946. Before he could take the second part of his preliminary exams, his illness worsened to such an extent that he had to be admitted to hospital in Enkhuizen, where he was staying at the time. He did not wake up from the anaesthetic administered for the operation. He died in 1948 at the age of 22.^[4]

Source personal data.^[1] Addresses: Hobbemakade 101-II, Amsterdam; Dintelstraat 4-II (June 1945); Gerard Terborghstraat 6-I (July 1945); Nieuwe Amstelstraat 26-I (January 1947); Milletstraat 58-I (March 1947).^[1]