Willem Luks, born in 1905 in Amsterdam, was the only son of Machiel Luks and Klara Schellevis. He had four other sisters, namely Betje, Judic, Rebecca and Mietje. There had been also a baby-sister Kaatje who died however in 1904, only a few weeks old. His sister Judic passed away in 1929. His parents and sisters with their families were all killed in the Shoah, just as Willem and his wife.
Willem Luks married Sientje Barber 16 November 1932 in Amsterdam, a daughter of Manus Barber and Flora van Velzen. Afther their marriage the couple lived at Blasiusstraat 59 2nd stock in Amsterdam but moved 27 May 1935 to Ruyschstraat 103 3rd stock. 26 April 1938 they went back to Blasiusstraat, but now to house nr. 102 3rd stock, but they moved for the last time 5 June 1941 to Zwanenbugerstraat 3 1st floor, their last address in Amsterdam.
During the large-scale raids in Amsterdam in the night of 2-3 October 1942, Willem Luks was caught and deported to Westerbork, from where he was put on transport to Auschwitz 19 October 1942. Based of his date of death of 28 February 1943, it may be assumed with a great certainty, that on arrival in Auschwitz, 22 October 1942, Willem Luks wasn’t immediately murdered but selected to perform forced labor. It is most likely that somewhere at the end of February 1943 Willem Luks has lost his life from exhaustion, diseases or hardship. His official date of death has been established as 28 February 1943.
On the other hand, Willem’s spouse Sientje Barber was only arrested and caught from home 28 November 1942 and deported to Westerbork. From there, she was put on transport to Auschwitz 8 December 1942 and on arrival there 11 December 1942, immediately killed.
From a not on Willem’s registration card of the Jewish Council, it appeared that he has sent a letter 18 January 1943 from Birkenau to his wife Sientje Barber in Amsterdam. Willem would certainly have been under the assumption that his wife Sientje would still be at home in Amsterdam, because during the raids in the night of 2-3 October 1942, she was not picked up with him. (Sientje Barber was only transported to Westerbork 28 November 1942 and deported to Auschwitz 8 December). The bizarre thing is, that Willem Luks never had known that hs wife Sientje was already killed in Auschwitz by 11 December 1942. As a result, 1 February 1943, his letter ended up at the "Postoffice, dept. Foreign Countries” of the Jewish Council and - as it appears to have happened according to the notes on the registration card of Willem's father Machiel Luks, the letter was forwarded on 8 February 1943 to Roza Polak-Barber, sister-in-law of Willem and sister of his wife Sientje, who lived at President Brandtlaan 18 3rd floor in Amsterdam. Presumably Roza received the letter, just before she herself would be put on transport with her husband Emanuel Polak to the concentration camp Vught on 12 February 1943. The content of the letter is not known.
City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Willem Luks, archive cards of Willem Luks and Sientje Barber; website wiewaswie.nl and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Willem Luks and Sientje Luks-Barber.