Elkan Lens was a son of David Lens and Naatje Huisman. He was born on 6 December 1867 in Den Haag, where he married on 10 August 1892 Flora Kosman, born 30 March 1866 in Den Haag as daughter of Joseph Kosman and Heintje Lens.
The couple had seven children, namely David in 1893, Jozef in 1894, Israel in 1896, Salomon in 1897, Simon in 1898, Abraham in 1901 and Lion in 1910, who however died at the age of 11 years on 1 August 1921. Their son Abraham presumably survived the war but all other children and the parents themselves were killed during the Shoah.
Elkan was a fruiterer and Flora was a female dealer. Since 8 February 1905 they lived at St. Jacobstraat 28 in Den Haag, but moved 5 June 1925 to Bierstraat 20. In April 1942 they were registered at the address Bierstraat 30a, together with their unmarried sons David and Simon and Flora’s unmarried brother Simon Kosman. However according to the registration at the Jewish Council, Elkan and Flora lived at Gedempte Gracht 33, from where they were caught and taken to Westerbork on 19 February 1943.
Also Simon Kosman, who lived in with Elkan and Flora, was taken that 19th of February 1943 to Westerbork, where they all stayed in barrack 70 and from where they have been deported to Auschwitz with over 1100 other deporteeson 23 February 1943. On arrival there on 26 February 1943 Elkan Lens, his wife Flora Kosman and his brother-in-law Simon Kosman were immediately killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Sources include the Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration card of Elkan Lens; death certificate of Simon Kosman; website wiewaswie,nl/wedding Lens/Kosman; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Elkan Lens, Flora Kosman and Simon Kosman and the Wikipedia website jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl