Jakob Frank was the seventh child from the first marriage of Izak Frank and Geertje Frenkel. Jakob was born on 29 October 1904 in Winschoten and he made his living as a merchant.
The family of Jakob's parents consisted of his father, who was born in Winschoten in 1864 and died there on 12 December 1940; his mother, who also came from Winschoten, was born in 1873 and died there in 1930. Jakob's siblings were Heiman Jakob from 1893, who eventually perished on 31 March 1944 in Mid Europe, Fannij (1895-1946), Benjamin (1897-1915), David (1898- who died after 1976), Leentje died in 1901 aged 3 months old and Eli (1902-1962).
In contrast to some of his sibs, Jakob Frank continued to live in Winschoten. However, he married Herta Vrengel in Oude Pekela, who was 9 years younger and who was born on 2 October 1914 in Hamburg as the daughter of cigar maker David Vrengel and Minna Weinthal. The couple had three children, namely Izak, born on 8 March 1935 but who died on 25 March 1935; Minna followed on 25 March 1936 and on 27 July 1939, a son was born who was again called Izak.
The last known addres of the Jakob Frank family was in July 1942, the Engelschestraat 39 in Winschoten. According to notes made on his registration card of the Jewish Council, Jakob was summoned for work in a Jewish labour camp but it is unknown which camp that was.
However, when the Germans decided to liquidate all Jewish labour camps in the North of the Netherlands and carry off all forced labourers to Westerbork, Jakob Frank and and many thousands of others arrived between 3 and 5 October in Westerbork. And in the context of the so-called family reunification, Jakob's wife Herta and his children Minna and Izak also ended up there at the same time.
On 9 October 1942 the family was put on transport to Auschwitz, which arrive there on 12 October 1942. Then Herta Frank-Vrengel, Minna and Izak Frank were immediately murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Jakob Frank however was selected as a forced labourer but unkown is what kind of “work” he had to do and where. Also his precise date of death is unkown.
After the war, the Dutch Authorities have established, also base don testimonials of survivors and researches, that Jakob Frank no longer could be alive after 31 January 1943. Then the Municipality of Winschoten was commissioned to draw up a certificate of death for Jakob Frank, in which was stated that he has died in Auschwitz on 31 January 1943.
Sources include the website openarchieven.nl/wedding Frank x Vrengel; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Jakob Frank, Herta Frank-Vrengel, Minna Fran and Izak Frank; website allegroningers.nl/BS/death registers Jakob Frank, deed 135 dated 10 November 1950 made out in Winschoten.