Benjamin Frank was a son of Samson Frank and Rebecca Stern. He married Rachel Frank in 1911. Four sons were born to the couple: Samson, Meijer (1915, died after 18 days), Meijer and Bernard. Benjamin Frank had a greengrocer’s store at Eerste Hoofdstraat 50 in Meppel. He also sold fruit and fish there. The shop was also open on Sundays.
Benjamin Frank worked for a while as an undertaker’s man for the Jewish community and would sometimes walk at the front of funeral processions on their way to the cemetery.
In October 1941 Benjamin Frank’s greengrocer’s store was closed down and all the produce was removed from the shop. On 20 July 1942, Benjamin Frank was ordered to report to Orvelte labour camp. He was allowed home on leave on 2 October, but he and his wife were arrested by the police that same night. When they arrived at the railway station in Meppel, the couple remembered that they had forgotten some things. They asked a policeman if they could return home to fetch them, and the policeman agreed, hoping that Benjamin and Rachel Frank would seize the opportunity to escape. But shortly afterwards the couple returned to the station with the things they had forgotten.
Addition of a visitor of the website
In addition, a Jokos file (number 31688) on this family is at the Amsterdam Municipal Archive. Access is subject to authorization from the Stichting Joods Maatschappelijk Werk.