Bertha Polak, born in the hamlet of Schoonoord, in the municipality Sleen (nowadays municipality Coevorden), was a daughter of Simon Polak and Bettje van Rhijn, a family with in total nine children. One child died in infancy, only 1 year old and one child has survived the Holocaust. All other children, namely Salomo, Philip, Harmannus, Hartog, Carolina, Anna and Bertha self have been killed in the Shoah. Both her parents died before the war.
According her registration card from the Archive of the Jewish Council, her latest address was Waalstraat 72 in Amsterdam. She was brought into camp Westerbork on 9 January 1942 and had to stay in barack 81B and 63. On 29 January Bertha was deported from there to Auschwitz where she was killed immediately upon arrival there on 1 Februray 1943.
Bertha is commemorated yearly in Schoonoord.
Website www.wiewaswie.nl; the archive of the Jewish Council, card of Bertha Polak and an addition of a visitor of the website.