Hendrika Polakwas born on 9 July 1878 in Rotterdam as the fourth of the six children of Jacobus Polak and Vroukje de Jong. She was unmarried and lived in her parental home at Schiedamsedijk 111 in Rotterdam with her siblings Noach, Mozes and Henrietta and earned her living as a warehouse head.
When Noach got married to Lena Stad on 28 October 1931, they moved to an own addres at Lange Pannekoekstraat 10a. Therefore, Hendrika was also obliged to find accommodation elsewhere, which she found with her sister Betje – who was married to Simon Hornman – at Spoorsingel 74b in Rotterdam. Also her unmarried brother Mozes came living in there, but her sister Henrietta left from Schiedamsedijk to Den Haag in August 1930, when she married Isidore de Wind. However, after the passing of Henrietta’s spouse in 1939, she returned to Rotterdam and came living in at Spoorsingel 74b aswell.
On 13 October 1942, Hendrika was taken to Westerbork, where she ended up in barrack 69. Striking is, that except Hendrika, also her brother Noach and his wife Lena Stad, her sister Henrietta and most likely also her sister Betje and he husband Simon Hornman, were taken all and carried off from their home addresses in Rotterdam to Westerbork, that same day! And they were all deported to Auschwitz on 16 October and on arrival there on 19 October 1942 immediately killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau: Hendrika’s brother Noach, two sisters Henrietta and Betje, her brother- and sister-in-law Simon Hornman and Lena Stad and Hendrika herself.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Noach Polak and family, family registration card of Hendrika Polak; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Hendrika Polak, Noach Polak, Lena Polak-Stad, Henrietta de Wind-Polak, Betje Hornman-Polak and Simon Hornman.