de Kadt Family and Leeuwarden

Articles by Peter de Haan

A family drama unprecedented

Some time ago I received from two Americans from Boston, Caroline and Scott Meeks, the request whether I wanted to assist them in finding family tracks in Leeuwarden. During a trip to Europe for that reason they would come to Leeuwarden. That would be a special meeting.

What was found? Caroline was a relative of the Jewish couple, George and Bertha Kadt Polak. He was a brilliant chemist and had until the last war an important function in the laboratory of the Cooperative Condensation Factory Friesland. His wife was a lawyer and daughter of the famous lemonade manufacturer C. P. Polak. Caroline is a cousin of hers. The Kadt The couple lived on the William Louis Street number 45 and had five children. Both were valued members of the Jewish community in Leeuwarden. At one point in the war, Jewish children were no more school. They decided a private Jewish school to set up. George has Kadt addition to his work when there is still taught.

In 1942 it became clear what terrible fate hanging over the Jews. The Kadt The family was located there even more painfully aware than others.

According to an interview with former CCF Director A. Bouwes in an earlier article in the newspaper Kleine Krantsjethe de Kadt family was offered an opportunity to flee in June 1942. The American-resident parents of Mrs. De Kadt arranged for visas to Cuba for the family. But this would have required the family to flee through much of Europe to Spain: a very risky business. With such a large family including a baby they would have stood out quickly. Moreover, the family would be dependent throughout the flight on the help of different people who could not be known to be trustworthy.

The couple decided not to accept that offer. But at the same time they felt the impending arrest and systematic deportation of Jews. In their dispair the father and mother of the de Kadt family faced their terrible dilemma and made a dramatic decision: they decided collectively as a family to end their lives. On July 20, 1942, the family gassed themselves in the bathroom of their home to the William Louis Street. Other reports talk about taking cyanide. The children died first, then the parents. The death certificates concluded that the two older children apparently did not die immediately from the gas and cyanide and that a hammer was used on their heads. This drama goes beyond any imagination. The level of despair for parents to make such a difficult decision is inconceivable.

Besides the couple, theer were the daughters Paulina (12 years), Esther (10 years) and Hanna (7 years) and the son Abraham (5 years) involved in the suicide. The baby, David Jan was spared. Before the suicides the baby was left in a crib next to the open window in the ground floor living room in hopes that the crying child would be saved and that family de Kadt / Polak would survive. Beside the cradle lay a note with the name of the child. A neighbor, Miss. Sinnema, two houses away discovered the crying baby and entered the house from the back yard. She discovered the crying David Jan and found the nanny of the family, Miss.Seijffers. Together they made the horrific discovery in the bathroom on the second floor. The nanny took over caring for the baby and after the end of the war when they went to America where Grandfather Polak lived. When David Jan was 25 years old, he was killed in a train accident. He was on his way to Holland to visit his hometown for the first time.

When Caroline and Scott stayed with us in Leeuwarden they were helped by Jan Faber of the Leeuwarden Historic Centre. They were informed about what was known about the de Kadt / Polak family and received copies of various documents. Then I went with them to visit the grave of the family in the Jewish Cemetery, an impressive place in Leeuwarden - not normally open to the public, to which I have never been. At the grave I left them alone for a while to allow them to perform various rituals. One was that they symbolically left candy for the children on in the large tombstone. I cherish the photo taken of the grave. I wondered later who had maintained that tombstone. It appeared the Jewish community had been taking care of maintenance.

Then we drove to the house at William Louis Street, where the drama was played out. The Americans wanted to take a photo of the house. I said ‘let's also just ring the bell, the residents may know more about what happened here.” All Wijnstra and Riny Wijnstra-Postma, a very friendly elderly couple, opened the door. To our great surprise, the Wijnstra family were the first occupant of the house, moving in immediately after the war. Even more amazing: Ms Wijnstra told us that she used to know the girls of the de Kadt family (schoolmates) and had played in the house with them as a girl. Also, they had found a wedding photo of the de Kadt parents in a hiding place in the house and showed it to us. The Americans and I were all ears listening enthralled to the firsthand testimonies of the Wijnstra family firsthand. I am grateful to them too for this very special meeting.

— Peter de Haan

Jewish Family Drama, Part 2

My previous piece on the collective suicide in 1942 of de Kadt family at 45 William Louis Street received quite a few responses.

One was from Selma van Hulsen from Enschede. Her aunt Lies van Hulsen worked during the war at the police station. There weekly, were lists of Jewish people who were going to be arrested and then face a very dark future. She gave those names to Selma's grandfather, Anton van Hulsen. He went out in the evenings to warn people. In honor of his resistance work he was later honored with the planting of a tree with his name on it in Israel. Later he told his family that he also had warned the de Kadt family, not knowing that they would prefer death to go underground or flee.

The van Hulsen family says that when he warned George de Kadt and Bertha Polak they thanked him for the warning and he had the impression that they were very desperate. George de Kadt repeated over and over “Where should we go? What shall we do?” In my previous piece, I stated why the flight to Spain and then to America was regarded as too risky by the de Kadt family.

For that flight had former CCF director A. Bouwes and the resident parents of Mrs. America. The Kadt advocated. I also got a response from the son of the former director, Wybren Bouwes. He later resigned from the company more or less in the footsteps of his father and reported that he did not know this particular story. But he could confirm that his father has helped several people to America to leave. He has his father several times suggested his experience as a real Frisian zuivelman abroad, before during and after the 2nd World War, even on paper, but that did not happen. After the war, the head of the laboratory of the CCF, Mr. Van Kreefelt, also a renowned chemist and like The Kadt of Jewish descent.

Klaas Roeda (74 years) also contacted me. He said that during the ware he was a friend of a son of the de Kadt family, Abraham Micah, Micha he had been called. He lived just down William Louis Street at No. 25. He said Micah's parents were “very nice people”. Klaas often played at Micah's home on the floor where the drama later took place. The children of Mr. de Kadt, who had a good job, had relatively many toys, but Klaas can remember that the de Kadt father was fine with giving away toys to less wealthy children. That was characteristic of the man who during the day was doing groundbreaking research into milk cool at the CCF laboratory. Sometimes he joined before all in the laboratory. Klaas also remembers the older sisters of Micah as “very friendly girls.”

On the day before the tragedy occurred with Klaas Micha played at home. It got later and later. Afterward It seems as though Micah had sensed something. Klaas' mother at one point said that he should go back home: “Otherwise, your parents will be very worried.” A normally very innocent remark but Klaas' mother still felt guilty afterwards (If only I had kept the child at my house). The next day, Klaas past the house where the windows on the ground floor were pushed up and where the curtains fluttered. Miss Sinnema, the nextdoor neighbor of the family and de Kadt The housekeeper at the famous family Lampe, told him, ‘you'll never play here again. Micah is no more’. Klaas stood there, taken aback. This was a very traumatic experience for the young Klaas and he had nightmares.

Klaas later became a master painter. His knowledge of painting and the childhood trauma gave him the idea to restore the grave of the family De Kadt / Polak family in the Jewish cemeteries in the 1990. During his first visit found that the monument had been severely neglected. It was barely legible and the gravel needed to be replaced, eliminated weeds, etc. He took it as a personal mission and spent much time restoring it. His wife, Johanna Roeda-Huppes, tells me that he has been working there for weeks but he doesn't want to brag about it. After the restoration, he and his wife visited the grave annually on May 4, t to inspect it and lay flowers. However, ten years ago the cemetery was locked and access was much more difficult. Roeda must have used very strong, durable paint because I can confirm that on my recent visit the gravestone was both clear and impressive. On the family monument the text reads: “Loved and mourned by all who knew them.” Klaas Roeda says: “More effective you can not express our feelings .....”

— Peter de Haan