Colette Booleman, born 1 March 1865 in Amsterdam, was a daughter of Alexander Moses Booleman and Betje Joseph Stadlander. On 17 December 1890 she married Jozef Polak in Amsterdam, a son of Juda Polak and Elsje Walvisch. The couple had two children, namely Judas, born 11 February 1892 and Alexander on 31 March 1893, both born in Amsterdam.
Colette’s husband Jozef Polak passed away 10 November 1931 in Berchem and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Putte. Of her son Judas Polak is nothing further known. Of Alexander is known that he married Hanna Leeda from Amterdam in 1913 and that Alexander and Hanna had a daughter Colette Hendrika, who married Hermanus Aluin and that Colette Booleman was the great-grandmother of Louis Aluin.
Colette Polak-Booleman was deported from Mechelen to Auschwitz with convoy XVIII (18) on 15 January 1943. This transport was combined with convoy 19 and it arrived in Auschwitz 18 January 1943. Of the more than 1500 deportees, 1087 persons were immediately killed on the day of arrival. It is very assumable that also Colette Boolleman at the age of 77 years on arrival there on 18 September has been immediately killed.
Sources among others: website wiewaswie.nl, wedding Jozef Polak/Colette Booleman; the Dossier of Foreigners of the City of Antwerp, nr. 101974, images 370-388 and the Memorial of the Deportation of the Belgian Jews, page 29.