Engelina Nenk was a daughter of Charle Nenk and Clara Pruikemaker. She was born in Arnhem on 23 November 1903 and was unmarried. The Nenk family consisted further of her sister Betje and her brothers Jacob Joachim, Asser and Jochem. Of Jacob Joachim, who was born on 10 January 1902 in Arnhem, is nothing further known.
Her brother Jochem was married on 5 Decembe 1934 to the German Rosa Schaupp, lived in Rotterdam but left for Utrecht in 1936 where they have survived the war. On 1 November 1945 they returned to Rotterdam.
Her brother Asser Nenk was married on 30 April 1942 to Sara Sophia Noach from Zutphen, who was married before but has been divorced in 1938 from Mozes Leuw. From that marriage, on 9 July 1936 a son was born in Amsterdam, Salomon David Leuw, who has been killed in Auschwitz on 6 October 1944 together with his mother Sara Sophia Noach. Also Asser Nenk has los his life during the Shoah on 28 February 1945, somewhere in Mid-Europe
Since February 1916, when her parents moved from Arnhem to Rotterdam, Engelina and her sibs lived at Hooidrift 41b. When her parents moved to Schiedamseweg 310, Betje and her daughter Louise Lucienne moved with them, but Engelina and her brother Asser moved into living space at Weenaplein 5c, where in 1931 also Betje, Louise Lucienne and her parents came to live.
When Charle Nenk and Clara Pruikemaker right after each other in April and in June 1936 passed away in Rotterdam, their children, who stayed behind, gradually moved to the same address: and per 31 May 1938, Engelina, Asser and Betje with her daughter Louise Lucienne lived together at Schieweg 254b.
After the passing of her brother-in-law Isidor Cohen on 21 November 1927, Engelina was appointed as the legal guardian of Isidor and Betje’s daughter Louise Lucienne Cohen, who was born on 5 November 1926 in Paris.
Together with her sister Betje and niece Louise, Engelina Nenk was called up on 29 or 30 July 1942 for the so-called “Arbeitseinsatz” – provision of additional work in Germany – and they were taken from Schieweg via “Loods 24” and carried off to Westerbork and already on 3 August 1942 deported to Auschwitz. On arrival there, ± 5 or 6 August, they were put to work as forced labourers in appalling conditions. At some point they have lost their lives there, by hardship or in the gas chamber but that is not known, nor as the exact date of their death.
Therefore, the Dutch Ministry of Justice ordered the Municipality of Rotterdam after the war to draw up certificates of death for Engelina Nenk, for Betje Cohen-Nenk and her daughter Louise Lucienne Cohen, in which has been established that they have died in Auschwitz on 30 September 1942.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Charle Nenk, Engelina Nenk, Betje Cohen-Nenk, Asser Nenk and Jochem Nenk; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Engelina Nenk, Betje Cohen-Nenk en Louise Cohen-Nenk.