Lena Barend was a daughter of David Barend and Esther Wijnschenk. She married 7 September 1939 in Amsterdam Robert Gudema from Oude Pekela, a son of Nathan Gudema and Johanna Hertz, who was born in Krefeld. Lena and Robert had no children.
After their marriage in 1939, the couple left for Oude Pekela, where they came living in the Hendrik Westerstraat 488. Robert’s parents and his sister Helene, who was almost ten years younger, lived next to their house at nr. 486. The police records of 15 October 1942 showed, that Robert’s parents and sister “had left their domicile without required permits” which meant that they had gone in hiding. They were eventually arrested and imprisoned in Westerbork on 25 February 1943 in penal barrack 66, after being betrayed. On 2 March they were deported as “prisoners” with a so-called “penal transport” to Sobibor where they were killed on 5 March 1943
Also Robert and Lena were wanted by the police. In the police records of 10 September 1942 was a call: they were wanted because “they had left their domicile without the required permits”, i.e. they too had gone in hiding. Also Robert and his wife Lena were arrested after being betrayed and taken to Westerbork where they were confined to barrack 97 on 20 June 1943.
That 20th of June was also the day that large-scale raids were held in Amsterdam, during which more than 5500 Jews were arrested and taken to Westerbork. Possibly due to the chaotic conditions in the camp that day and days thereafter, Robert and Lena were not treated as “penal cases”, but just as well put on transport to Sobibor on 29 June with 2395 other deportees and on arrival there on 2 July 1943 immediately killed.
Sources among others: City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Lena Barend; website openarchieven.nl/birth of Robert Gudema; Wikipedia list of Jew Transports from the Netherlands; website allegroningers.nl/certificates of death nr. 46 and 47 for Lena Barend and Robert Gudema dated 2 May 1950 and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Robert Gudema and Lena Gudema-Barend.