Mendel Rokach, born on 22 August 1906 in Polish Waniswice was married to Zirly Bernfeld from Perehinske which is located in western Ukraine. She was born there on 11 March 1907. The Rokach couple had four children, viz. Issachar, who was born on 29 December 1932 in Stanislawow in Poland. On 20 April 1934 Szjeina followed who was born in Lemberg (Lviv) which is also located in the west of Ukraine.
The Rokach couple, with two children at the time, left for the Netherlands, where they arrived on 6 August 1937 and were able to move into a house at Schieweg 34b in Rotterdam. There their third child Mirjam was born on 24 October 1939 and their last son Schalom came into the world on 8 April 1943.
Mendel Rokach was Chief Cantor in the Jewish Congregation of Rotterdam. For his education as a cantor, he had visited the conservatory, among other things. After the obligatory registration of all Jews in the Netherlands, which took place from 10 January 1941, Mendel Rokach was “Gesperrt” by the Jewish Council on 8 August 1942 “because of function”, as a result of which his family was also provisionally exempted from deportation.
Nevertheless, the family was advised and assisted to go into hiding at different addresses. However, Mendel did not want to go and did not go into hiding, probably convinced of the “protection” of his “Sperre”. His wife Zirly also wanted to stay at home and went not into hiding either. The children, on the other hand, had been taken elsewhere. At some point, Mendel demanded that his children who had gone into hiding should come back home. He couldn't do without them.
Mendel was arrested in February 1943 despite his “Sperre” and carried off to Westerbork on 27 February, where he was housed in barrack 69. A few months later, when his three children were back home, they were picked up on 10 April 1943 and also arrived in Westerbork.
His wife Zirly was pregnant with her fourth child and went to the Carmenta Maternity Clinic on the Heemraadssingel in Rotterdam for the delivery, where her son Schalom was born on 8 April 1943. She remained there with Schalom “in hiding” until she turned herself in to the police because she couldn’t stand it no longer. Zirly and Schalom were sent to Westerbork: on 5 February 1944.
Immediately afterwards, on 8 February 1944, the complete Rokach family was deported to Auschwitz. The transport included a total of 1015 deportees and arrived in Auschwitz on 10/11 February 1944. Of this transport there were eventually 30 survivors. However, Mendel Rokach, his wife Zirly Bernfeld and their children Issachar, Sheina, Mirjam and Schalom were immediately murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau upon arrival on 11 February 1944.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Mendel Rokach; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Mendel Rokach, Zirly Rokach-Bernfeld and of Issachar, Sjeina, Mirjam en Schalom Rokach; Website Joods Erfgoed Rotterdam (Jewish heritage of Rotterdam – Dutch language only); the archives of the Dutch Red Cross/transport of 8 February 1944; the Wikipedia website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland (Transport of Jews from the Netherlands – Dutch language only) and additions of visitors of the website.