Tenenbaum fogolyként került a táborba. Zsidó volt, talán lengyel vagy német. Aztán a nácik észrevették a képességeit. Bár:
(It is to this extent that Tenenbaum's links to a Jewish inheritance is
questionable, since at the time Jews in all scientific endeavours were being replaced by Germans on grounds of 'racial hygiene'; as such, it is likely that Tenenbaum was a destitute German citizen who has been rounded up, or someone who played down her Jewish heritage, in order to get her new position in the prison.)