Anna Dresden-Polak

Not to be confused with Anna Sophia Polak.

Anna "Ans" Dresden-Polak (née Anna Polak) (24 November 1906 – 23 July 1943) was a Jewish Dutch gymnast.^[1][2][3]

Ans Polak
Anna Polak in 1928
Personal information
Born	(1906-11-24)24 November 1906 Amsterdam
Died	23 July 1943(1943-07-23) (aged 36) Sobibor extermination camp
Gymnastics career
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Country represented	Netherlands
Medal record Women's gymnastics Representing the  Netherlands Summer Olympics 1928 Amsterdam Team

She won the gold medal as a member of the Dutch gymnastics team at the 1928 Summer Olympics, in her native Amsterdam.^[4][5][6] She was one of five Jewish members of the team, which included Stella Blits-Agsteribbe (who was murdered in Auschwitz), Lea Kloot-Nordheim (who was murdered in Sobibor), and Judikje Themans-Simons (who was murdered in Sobibor).^[3][5] Their coach, Gerrit Kleerekoper, was murdered in Sobibor as well.^[5][7]

She was born in Amsterdam, and was murdered in Sobibor extermination camp. From Westerbork concentration camp, she had been deported to Sobibór, where she was murdered on 23 July 1943,^[8] together with her six-year-old daughter Eva.^[9][10] Her husband, Barend Dresden was murdered a few months later in 1944 in Auschwitz concentration camp.^[10][11][12]

She was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.^[4][13]

See also

• List of select Jewish gymnasts