Aster Village

That I first saw the name of Asterdorp was when I read a record, which is part of the archives of the Hausraterfassungsstelle, which was a department of the Zentralstelle für Jüdische Auswanderung in Amsterdam. In the piece it says that the family of Nathan Norbert Stiebel, "Evakuieren am June 23 nach Asterdorp". The record in question is an inventory of the contents of their property at the Achillesstraat 43, Amsterdam, written on 15-06-1942, by Mrs. Ingenbleek and Gros of the Hausraterfassungsstelle. The confiscated furniture was intended for members and relatives of the NSDAP and related organizations, but later, much of the confiscated furniture went to German families who were victims of the many bombings by the allies. Many of the stolen furniture disappeared to the employees and relatives of the HES.

Inventory list made by men of the HausratErfassung

 

Copies of these inventory lists were sent to the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg.
The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg was named after Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi ideologist of the first hour. He was also the deputy of Adolf Hitler within the NSDAP when he spent some time in jail on the occasion of the failed putsch of 1925. It was the task of ERR during the war, in different ways to steal cultural property, especially from Jewish owners, and to bring it into the hands of the Nazi's. In this way they are responsible for the looting of many art treasures and libraries, eg from Jewish property, to be send to mainly the Institut zur Erforschung der Judenfrage in Frankfurt as part of the Hohe Schule der NSDAP, the Führer Museum and the great art lover Hermann Goering.

Much of the inventory lists of the Hausraterfassung are now made public through the archives of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, which can be found on www.archieven.nl.

Asterdorp: 1926 - 1941

Street in Asterdorp; corner of Blauwe-Distelweg and Edelweisstraat

Asterdorp was built in 1926 as a residential school for 'antisocial' ('inadequate') families. In several cities in the Netherlands a number of these residential schools were built during the Depression for poor families to educate them and change them into socially responsible and active citizens of Dutch society. In the north of Amsterdam, 2 of these residential schools were built, in Asterdorp and in Zeeburgerdorp. The latter was launched in 1926, Asterdorp a year later.Asterdorp was located in the current area of ​​Aster Street, Distelweg, Chrysanthemum Street and Aster Dwarsweg . Zeeburgerdorp was more to the south-east, in the Docklands to the current Zeeburgerpad.A newspaper that publishes regularly in those years about Asterdorp is The Tribune, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Holland, later the CPN. Over the years, beginning on 09-03-1927, The Tribune agitates very much against the abusement of the people in the Asterdorp. The village is depicted as a kind of prison where 'asocial' families are trapped, in one article it is even referred to as the "concentration camp of De Miranda". De Miranda was Councillor for Housing of the City of Amsterdam.In December 1929 a report is published about the housing of anti-social families written by Ir. A. Keppler, then director of the Municipal Housing Agency of Amsterdam. Here he argues for expanding the number of available homes for these families from 200 to 600 and splitting families into 3 categories:re-integratable  families, hardened defaulters and non-reintegratable families. The latter category is also referred to as, "completely degenerates, with which there is nothing to begin with".

Gate-building with access to the village, 1928

Asterdorp had originally no streetnames but was numbered from 1 to 134. In June 1932, the house numbers were changed and there are 3 streetnames introduced; Blauwe-Distelweg, Fuchsiastraat and Edelweisstraat. Established by decree of 11 May 1932.Originally the village had an access which also was closed every night. The village was completely fenced in the sense that there was an outer ring of houses all had their windows and doors to the inside of the village, it was so designed that the outside looked like a solid wall. There was a house for a superintendent, laundry room, a bathhouse, a community on the second floor with a space for social work and a workshop for the Housing Authority.The engineered society was even then a difficult to achieve ideal and, helped by the poor quality of houses, Asterdorp was left almost empty in the late thirties.Several newspapers on 15-10-1940 make notification of the intention of the City of Amsterdam to house people from Rotterdam in Asterdorp thinking of the coming winter.It was decided to renovate Asterdorp and it was from late 1940, fully inhabited by people from Rotterdam who had lost their homes because of the bombing in May 1940. From late 1940 to mid 1941, this period was needed to house all these people elsewhere. After that Asterdorp was left empty again.

Asterdorp: 1942 - 1945

Blauwe-Distelweg in 1939

From July 1942 Jewish people were housed by force in Asterdorp. First mainly of German Jewish origin (152), some from Poland (11) and Austria (8). All were put out of their homes by the German invaders and forced to move to Amsterdam. From Hilversum (35), Bussum (52), Naarden (37) and Laren (2). Later, there are also people from Amsterdam (127), The Hague (21) and Utrecht (11).The Blue-Distelweg No. 2 is an office of the Jewish Council and there also lives, at another address, an employee of the Central Office.I the literature there's not much to be found about Asterdorp. Jacques Presser mentioned Asterdorp several times in his "Ondergang" and suggests the total number of Jewish residents of Asterdorp at 240. The same number is also listed on the website Asterdorp (www.asterdorp.nl) and on Wikipedia. In "Het Koninklijk der Nederlanden" by Lou de Jong there's no mention of Asterdorp.

After my research I come to just over 300 persons who, during the war under pressure from anti-Jewish measures, were forced to live in Asterdorp, usually leaving behind all their belongings, such as the Stiebel family. Of these 302, 221 people were killed during the war, including 106 in Auschwitz and 89 in Sobibor. The oldest person was born in March 1859, the youngest in December 1942. The earliest people were killed in Auschwitz on 10-08-1942 the last on 07-05-1945 in Bergen-Belsen. The date that most people were killed is on 30-09-1942. That day 31 people who have lived in Asterdorp were gassed in Auschwitz.

In my research I used the Housing Cards from the Amsterdam City Archives, for further research I have also consulted the Archive Cards of a lot of people from the same Archives. Of the persons who are deceased in Amsterdam I checked the Funeral licenses available on the Akevoth website. Other archives and websites that I have consulted are mentioned below with the sources. 


Part of Asterdorp is hit during a bombing in July 1943. There were 3 different raids by American, English and French bombers. The target of these bombings were the Fokker factories in Amsterdam North but instead neighborhoods in the area were hit. In total, about 200 civilians were killed and another 150 injured. Also some residents of Asterdorp were injured.

Asterdorp: after WW-II

After the war, in 1946, Asterdorp was again renovated and 'opened up'. On an aerial photograph this is clearly visible. Also out of original 2 houses one house was to make ​​the houses more attractive to live in. The streets are renamed by Council decision of 23.04.1947, in Speenkruidstraat (Edelweisstraat), Pijlkruidstraat (Fuchsiastraat), Dahlia Straat, Goudenregenstraat, Seringenstraat and Chrysantenstraat (Blauwe-Distelweg). Between November 1954 and May 1955, all the houses that have been part of Asterdorp were torn down. Only a part of the original gatehouse remains.

Aerial photograph of Asterdorp taken after the reconstruction in 1946

 The Stiebel family

Police-report about Nathan Stiebel concerning his arrest

On 23-05-1933, the family of Nathan Norbert Stiebel were registered in the populationregistry of the city of Amsterdam. They came from Berlin. Nathan is registered as a merchant and his wife, Lieselotte Compart, as fur worker. They were married on 16-12-1931 in Berlin and have 2 children; Werner Leopold (born 01-05-1934 in Amsterdam) and Ruth Ida (born 11-01-1938 in Amsterdam). After a number of addresses in Amsterdam, they lived from 30-06-1936 on at the adress 43 Achilles Street in Amsterdam.
On 15-06-1942, a list is made up ​​of the contents of the house of the family on the Stiebel Achillesstraat 43 home by 2 men of the HES (see image at top). Topping the list it says that the family will be 'evacuated' on June 23 to Asterdorp. According to the archivecard of Nathan in the City Archives this eventually happened on 07-08-1942. On that date the family moved to the Edelweisstraat 126 in Asterdorp.
On 20-08-1942, at 08:20 pm, Nathan is arrested on behalve of the SD because he had no Star of David on his jacket while walking on the street. He is put in a cel at the policestation and is available from the Office of Jewish Affairs. On Friday, 21-08-1942, at 09:00 he is taken for interrogation to the Office Jewish Affairs. At 09:35 hours, Nathan returned to the police headquarters to be in custody, again to be send to the 11th Bureau, also called Office Jewish Affairs. At 16:30 pm, Nathan along with 7 others was transferred to the SD.
Shortly after, the whole family was deported. Via Westerbork to Auschwitz where Lieselotte and the two children are killed on 01-10-1942. Nathan was killed on 31-01-1943.

The Israelowicz family

On 29-09-1933, the family of Walter Israelowicz were registered in the populationregistry of the city of Rotterdam. They come over from Essen in Germany. Walter is registered as a dealer and /or retailer in badgers. He is married to Erna Grüneberg and they have 3 children, Ursula (b. 2/1/1920 in Berlin), Kurt (born 27-04-1922 to Hüsten) and Eveline (born 30-10-1926 in Essen) . Via Schiedam, the family finally arrives in Hilversum 30-01-1941  and on 23-07-1942 they moved to the Blauwe-Distelweg in Asterdorp. On 11-05-1942, in their home on the Havenstraat in Hilversum ​​an inventory is made up of their possessions by 2 members of the HES, Mr. Schut and Benkemper. According to an entry in the police archives of Amsterdam their home in Asterdorp is sealed on 11-08-1942 by a police officer. The entire family is murdered in Auschwitz on 30-09-1942.

Start of building Asterdorp in 1926

The Sigmund family
 Ernst Sigmund and Katchen Kaufmann married on 20.08.1925 at Augsburg. Both were born in Scheinfeld, a small village a little south-east of Würzburg. They had 2 children; Lieselotte (born 07-09-1929 in Frankfurt an Main) and Kurt Albert (born 15-07-1933 in Frankfurt am Main). On 16-01-1934 the family comes from Stuttgart to Amsterdam. They stay there for some weeks in the Polish Coffee Shop, Hotel Poland later, at the Kalverstraat 15. Through Heemstede (31-01-1934) and Bloemendaal does the family end up on the 15-10-1940 Hooftlaan 15 in Bussum to attend.On 07-03-1942 does Ernst reported stolen to the police because Amsterdam on 5/6 March 1942, from his warehouse on the Herengracht No 45, some things were stolen, "an addressing machine, 4 costumes and corporal goods declarant , wife and two children. " He is in the report referred to as living on the wholesaler Hooftlaan Bussum. Apparently the family has already Sigmund private things in trying to bring security or maybe there was a plan on the Herengracht in hiding.On 07-05-1942 is inventory of the contents of their home by 2 men of the Hausraterfassung. According to the archives would the family 28-08-1942 'moved' from Bussum to Asterdorp but this is contradicted by another document indicating that on 13-07-1942 the house is emptied Bussum "Laut der Inventarliste". On this form also states that the inventory list (No. 50) missed a few things, clothing, toiletries and 2 suitcases. Bottom of this form is estimated that of the original value of the contents (Fl. 470, =) half as value remains (Fl. 235, =) where again the value of the missing cases from being pulled (Fl. 11.75 ). Remains, Fl. 223.25. The date of 28-08-1942 can not match the date of death of Sigmund and their 2 children adopted on 12-08-1942. According to the Bundesarchiv and the Auschwitz archive Ernst deceased on 04-09-1942 and not on 30-09-1942 as on Jewish Monument and according to the Amsterdam City Archives.An important statement in connection with the timeline with respect to the family's Sigmund from the Police archives of the Amsterdam City Archive of Tuesday, 11-08-1942. On that day, reported at 15:45 hours that he various agent homes "by Jews abandoned houses" has sealed. These 5 homes in the Blue Distelweg and 3 at the Edelweisstraat, including the family home Sigmund. Shortly before that date the family is deported to Westerbork and if we start from the date of death of Sigmund and the children they would have to share part of the transport was left Westerbork on 10-08-1942 with destination Auschwitz. 

Sources:

• Amsterdam City Archives, Archive Cards, Family Cards, Police Reports, Property Maps, Image Bank; stadsarchief.amsterdam.nl
• Archive Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (access 093a) on www.archieven.nl
• Digital Monument to the Jewish Community in the Netherlands; www.joodsmonument.nl
• Gedenkbuch; Verfolgung der Opfer der Juden in Deutschland unter der nationalsozialistischen Gewaltherrschaft 1933-1945; www.bundesarchiv.de / gedenkbuch
• Auschwitz archive en.auschwitz.org
• Wikipedia on Asterdorp; nl.wikipedia.org / wiki / Residential School
• Asterdorp website; www.asterdorp.nl
• Antosja website, genealogical website which include the family Pistoor whose family has lived in Asterdorp; www.antosja.com / html / Information% 20Pistoor.htm # aster village entrance
• Newspaper Archives of the Royal Library; kranten.kb.nl
• Akevoth website on Jewish Genealogy; www.akevoth.org
• Digital Family Tree portal, including access to the archives of The City of Rotterdam and The Hague; www.digitalestamboom.nl