Betje Luks was a daughter of Machiel Luks and Klara Schellevis. 9 April 1924 she married in Amsterdam Gompert Turk, a son of Meijer Turk and Femma van Loggem. On 9 June 1929 their daughter Femma was born, however, the family was killed in the Shoah.
Till her wedding, Betje Luks lived with her parents at Valkenburgerstraat 105 in Amsterdam, which was the street were at nr. 5 also her future spouse Gompert Turk lived with his parents. Almost three years later, she moved with her husband Gompert 8 Janiary 1927 to Zwanenburgerstraat 22 1st floor, where two years later their daughter Femma was born.
8 April 1933 they moved to Weesperstraat 57 2nd floor and lived in as Gompert Turk family with Betje’s parents and her sister Mietje Luks, who then was still unmarried.
31 March 1941, their last address became Weesperstraat 53 3rd floor; Also Betje’s sister Mietje moved with them, together with her husband Simon Polak, to whom she was married 26 March 1941. In the Gompert Turk family also lived a cousin, Louis de Brave, who was born 12 December 1923 as son of Machiel de Brave – who passed away in 1934 – and Judic Luks – who passed away already in 1929. Also Louis de Brave moved with the family to nr. 53 3rd floor.
The Turk family was fetched and arrested during the large-scale raids of early October 1942 and deported to Westerbork where they arrived in the night of 3-5 October. Due to the enormous chaos of that moment, it was unclear in which barack Gompert, Betje and Femma had to stay. However 16 October the family was put on transport to Auschwitz.
Before this transport ot 1710 deportees arrived in Auschwitz, the train stopped at Kozel, about 80 km. west from Auschwitz. There 570 boys and men – “who were fit to work” – were forced to leave the train. They were transferred als forced laborers to the surrounding satellite camps of Auschwitz. Also Gompert Turk belonged to this group, who finally ended up in Gross Rosen. Forced labor had to be done there in a stone-pit; from mid 1944 at Siemens or Blaupunkt or at the weaving mill. Gompert eventually lost his life in Gross Rosen 7 February 1945.
After the 570 men had left the train in Kozel, the remaining prisoners were further transported to Auschwitz. On arrival there 19 October 1942, Betje Turk-Luks and her daughter Femma Turk were immediately killed.
City archive of Amsterdam, family registration cards of Machiel Luks and Meijer Turk; archive cards of Gompert Turk and Betje Luks; residence card of Weesperstraat 57; the fila cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Gompert Turk, Betje Turk-Luks and Femma Turk; list of Jew tranports from the Netherlands and the website about Gross Rosen.