On 26 July 1934 Emanuel Polak, a son of Salomon Polak and Anna Kloots, married Gretha Kater, a daughter of Isaac Kater and Naatje Salomons. The couple had no children and the marriage did not last; on 14 March 1939 the marriage was dissolved.
Greta Kater was a sales lady. Her last known address in Amsterdam was Van Woustraat 51 2nd floor and she was already taken 18 July 1942 and brought to Westerbork. From there she was deported 24 July to Auschwitz, where on arrival on 27 July 1942, she was selected to perform forced labor. The exact date of her death is not known but on order of the Ministry of Justice, the Municipality of Amsterdam has drawn up a certificate of death for her, in which has been established that Gretha Kater has died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.
Emanual Polak was arrested on 30 October 1943 and taken to Westerbork, where he ended up in the penal barrack 67. On 16 November he was put on transport as a penal case to Auschwitz where on arrival he was deployed as forced labourer. Dut to hardship he eventually lost his life and the Ministry of Justice has ordered the Municipality of Amsterdam to draw up a certificate of death in which has been established that Emanuel Polak has died in Auschwitz on 31 March 1944.
Sources includes the Amsterdam City Archive, archive cards of Emanuel Polak and Gretha Kater; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Emanuel Polak and Gretha Kater; certificates of death for Emanuel Polak, Register A96-folio 53 verso, deed nr. 308 dated 28 may 1952 and for Gretha Kater, Register A49-foloi 35, deed nr. 199 dated 8 September 1950