Christina Zwaaf was the eldest of the four children of Isaäc Zwaaf and Bloeme Swaluw. She was born in Rotterdam on 15 September 1910, when her parents after their weddingday on 4 May 1910 lived at Helmersstraat 23a. They moved in 1918 to the Aert van Nesstraat but in 1924 they returned again to Helmersstraat 23 in the Jewish district of Rotterdam. Meantime Christina had a sister and two brothers: Esther in 1915, Hijman in 1919 and Jacob in 1923.
Christina married 4 March 1936 Isaac de Jong, a son of Jacob de Jong and Roosje Roodenburg; he was born in Rotterdam on 23 December 1910 and earned his living as an occasional and ditcher. After Christina and Isaac were married, they moved into a house in the Benthemdwarsstraat 14a, located in the Agniese district of Rotterdam-North, where their son Jacob was born on 23 August 1936.
Before the Second World War, the current Benthemstraat, which bears the same name as the pre-war street, that was also situated roughly there, there was also a street that was named Benthemdwarsstraat. (source: Rotterdam city archives / street name database / Benthemstraat).
The bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940 may have played a role in the relocation of the family of Isaac de Jong to Aleidisstraat 54a in the west of Rotterdam. They lived there at least in April 1942 according to the Population Registry of the Municipality of Rotterdam. During the large scale round-ups of early October 1942, also the Isaac de Jong family was arrested and carried off to Westerbork, where they arrived between 3 and 5 October. Isaac was brought to barrack 62 and Christina and her son Jacob were accommodated in barrack 63.
However, only during February 1943, Christina and Jacob were sent to concentration camp Vught, from where Jacob has been deported via Westerbork on 7/8 June 1943, with the so-called child transport to Sobibor. His mother was his companion. On arrival there on 11 June 1943, Jacob de Jong and his mother Christina de Jong-Zwaaf were immediately killed in the gas chambers there.
After his wife and son were sent to Vught, Isaac de Jong remained in Westerbork. On 21 April 1943 he still received a letter from his wife Christina from Vught, but whether they ever have seen afterwards is not known. More than a month after Christina and Jacob were deported with the child transport to Sobibor, also Isaac de Jong was put on transport to Sobibor on 13 July 1943 and on arrival there on 16 July 1943 immediately killed.
Sources include the Rotterdam City Archives, family registration cards of Isaäc Zwaaf and Isaac de Jong; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Isaac de Jong, Christina de Jong-Zwaaf and Jacob de Jong; website ITS Arolson, camp registrations from Vught of Jacob de Jong and additions from visitors of the website.