Karel Emil van Zwanenburg was a son of Salomon van Zwanenburg and Estella Jacobs. His parents passed already way before the war: his mother Estella Jacobs from Zwolle died 23 August 1917 as widow of Salomon Zwanenburg, aged 78 years and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery Toepan in Rotterdam. He had a brother Albert Lodewijk and an unmarried sister Therese van Zwanenburg.
Karel Emil van Zwanenburg married 10 October 1912 in Rotterdam Rosalie Frank, a daugher of Juda Frank and Sophia Herzdahl. The couple had no children. After their marriage, they shortly lived at Claes de Vrieselaan 103 b in Rotterdam but left Rotterdam 25 April 1914 for Amsterdam, Zeilstraat 35. From there they moved 27 November 1928 to Pieter Lastmankade 5 downfloor, from where they were caught and arrested and sent to Westerbork. They had no “Sperre”.
Karel Emil van Zwanenburg was locked in at Westerbork 15 April 1943 in barack 60. How to escape from futher deportation became clear from the notes of his registration card of the Jewish Council; 16 April 1943 Mr. S.H. Marez Oyens at Lairessestraat 123 has been informed that his “Barneveld matter” must already be in treatment by a proxy in the department. An approval should be telegraphed to him by Mr. Marez. 17 April Karel Emil requests Abraham Asscher among others to intervene for him. From Westerbork Mr. Marez Oyens was informed 22 April, that without any official approval regarding Barneveld, “nothing could be done from here”. And 27 April 1943, Karel Emil van Zwanenburg and his wife Rosalie Frank were put on transport to Sobibor, where they on arrival there 30 April 1943 have been killed immediately.
City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Karel Emil van Zwanenburg; City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Karel Emil van Zwanenburg; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Karel Emil van Zwanenburg en Rosalie van Zwanenburg-Frank and an addition of a visitor of the website.