Salomon Lens, born 30 April 1897 in den Haag, was the fourth of the seven sons of Elkan Lens and Flora Kosman. On 30 May 1934 he married in Den Haag at the age of 37 the 40-year old Femia Dora Meerloo, the eldest of six children of the fruiterer from Kolhorn, Bernard Meerloo and Anna Frederika Benjamins from Amsterdam.
Salomon Lens was a cigar maker by profession, however at the time of his wedding, he worked as an assistant conductor. After their wedding, the couple lived in the Faber van Riemsdijkstraatr 21 in Den Haag, which has been renamed since 1937 as Repelaerstraat. Salomon and Femia had no children.
Between 3 and 5 October 1942 both were carried off to Westerbork and on 9 October deported to Auschwitz. This transport contained more than 1700 deportees in total. On arrival on 12 October, selections followed at the (un)loading platform (“Rampe”) and Salomon Lens too was selected to be deployed as forced labourer. Not known is where he had to “perform” his “duty” and what kind of labour it was. Eventually he lost his life but the exact date and place are not known too.
Therefore, the Ministry of Justice ordered the Municipality of Den Haag after the war to draw up a death certificate for Salomon Lens, in which has been established that he has died 21 January 1943 in Auschwitz. However, Salomon’s wife Femia Dora Meerloo had been killed already in the gas chambers on arrival there on 12 October 1942.
However, the Death Books (Sterbebücher) of the Memorial en Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau show that Salomon Lens has been murdered already on 13 October 1942 in Auschwitz.
The database of the Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau uses the partially preserved Death Books (Sterbebücher) of Auschwitz Concentration Camp prisoners. The 46 volumes of political department (camp Gestapo) record the deaths of almost 69,000 prisoners who were registered in the camp and who died between July 29, 1941 and December 31, 1943. Their names have been entered in the data base. Please remember that the death certificates cover only registered prisoners who died in the period mentioned. The overwhelming majority of victims, mostly Jewish, perished in the gas chambers immediately after arrival, without being entered in the camp records, and without their deaths being noted in the German documents. (source: Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau/prisoners/Salomon Lens/Sterbebücher).
By establishing the date of death of Israel Lens however, the official Dutch date of death and place of 21 Januari 1943 in Auschwitz is maintained, a juridical date and place established after the war by the Dutch Department of Justice.
Sources include the Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration cards of Salomon Lens, Elkan Lens and Bernard Meerloo; wedding certificate Lens/Meerloo from 1934; website Auschwitz Birkenau/Sterbebücher/Salomon Lens; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Salomon Lens and Femia Dora Lens-Meerloo; the wikipedia website listing jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl and the certificates of death from Den Haag for Salomon Lens, nr C3578 and for Femia Dora Lens-Meerloo nr. C3580.