Heintje Schenkkan was a daughter of Levie Schenkkan and Marianne Peper. She married 25 August 1910 in Amsterdam Nathan Swart, a diamond polisher and son of Levie Swart and Maria Peper. The couple had three children, namely Louis, Isaäc and Marie. Louis was born 31 December 1910 and he became a diamond worker. In 1930 he left for Antwerp and on 8 May 1935 he left for Johannesburg in South Africa. Isaäc and Marie however were killed in the Shoah.
After their wedding, Heintje and Nathan lived at Vrolikstraat 82 in Amsterdam. In 1913 they moved to Eerste Oosterparkstraat 168 and in July 1925 they went to President Brandstraat 10 in Amsterdam-East. After having moved again in 1927 to President Steijnstraat 8, they moved into a house at Vechtstraat 131 2nd floor in Amsterdam-South. Their last known address became however Hunzestraat 71 2nd floor in Amsterdam, where they moved in on 21 November 1940.
Their son Isaäc married 18 April 1940 in Amsterdam Hendrika Piller, a daughter of Daniel Piller and Sara Visser. They lived shortly at another address but moved in afterwards with Isaäc’s parents. From their last known address in the Hunzestraat 71 2nd floor, they were carried off 7 September 1943 to Westerbork and still that same day deported to Auschwitz, where they were forced to perform hard labor. Hendrika Swart Piller has lost her life in Auschwitz on 30 November 1943 and Isaäc Swart lost his life there on 31 March 1944.
Their daughter Marie was unmarried and lived at home with her parents and she worked as a shop lady. Marie Swart was put on transport to Auschwitz on 30 October 1942, together with her mother Heintje Schenkkan and on arrival there on 2 November 1942 were both immediately killed.
Natha Swart was registered in Westerbork on 7 November 1942. He was a mandatory member of the N.A.F., the Nederlandse Arbeiders Front (Dutch Laborers Front), a national socialistic union. In the N.A.F. al Dutch unions were forcedly engrossed in this new union, including also the ANDB, the Algemene Nederlandse Diamantbewerkers Bond (Dutch Diamond Union). This N.A.F. turned out not to be able to do much for his workers and was cancelled due to his failure in 1945.
When Nathan Swart was brought to Westerbork, he tried to escape deportation and he addressed himself to the N.A.F. on 20 February, who send him a statement from the ANDB, which was given to him in person on 1 March 1943. It was stated in there that he was not eligible for “automatic exemption from deportation” (sperring), because he was over 50 years of age. Already the next day, on 2 March 1943 Nathan Swart was put on transport to Sobibor, and on arrival there on 5 March 1943 he was immediately killed.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Nathan Swart, archive cards of Nathan Swart, Heintje Schenkkan, Isaäc Swart, Henderika Piller and Marie Swart and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Nathan Swart, Heintje Swart-Schenkkan, Isaäc Swart, Henderika Swart-Piller and Marie Swart.