Biography

About Alida Polak-Mesritz and her husband Isidore Polak.

Alida Mesritz, born 3 July 1894 in Amsterdam, was a daughter of Elias Mesritz and Sara Gompers. She married 7 January 1920 in Zaandam to Isidore Polak, a son of Levi Polak and Marianna Loonstein. His siblings, who did not survive the Holocaust too, were Mietje, Emanuel, Flora, George, Esther and Duifje. Alida en Isidore had no children.

Alida lived at home at Weesperstraat but after her wedding, she moved in with her husband Isidore Polak, a brilliant polisher by profession, who then lived at Vrolikstraat 417 1st floor. On 6 May 1921 they moved to Tugelaweg 62 2nd floor in Amsterdam-East, where they lived till they were arrested there by the Germans.

That happened on 7 November 1942. Alida and Isidore were carried off then to Westerbork and already put on transport to Auschwitz on 10 November. On arrival there on 13 November 1942 they were both immediately killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Isidore Polak and archive cards of Alida Mesritz and Isidore Polak; website wiewaswie.nl and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Alida Polak-Mesritz and Isidore Polak.

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