Sara Israel from Arnhem, was a daughter of Simon Israel, sexton in Arnhem and Roosje Mol. 21 June 1911 she married in Arnhem Jacob Croiset from Den Haag, a son of Aron Croiset and Johanna Norden. The couple had three children, namely Rosa in 1912, Aäron in 1914 and Johanna in 1916. The marriage however ended in a divorce 21 December 1920 by verdict of the District Court of Den Haag. (registered in the register of Marriages and Divorces 25 February 1921).
28 December 1925, Sara Israel arrived from Den Haag in Rotterdam and was registered in the Peoples Registry as shopkeeper of toiletware; her address was Binnenweg 89a (at Polak), but 16 April 1926 she returned to Den Haag. Her last known address was in Den Haag Bezuidenhoutscheweg 149.
After the divorce, Jacob Croiset, born 1901 in Den Haag married 18 June 1926 again to Lucia Charlotte Luise Suplie (or Suphie) from Berlin, but this marriage too ended in a divorce 2 December 1937 in Den Haag. Jacob Croiset lived at Dijckstraat 38 in Den Haag per 29 October 1938, where he passed away 10 November 1938.
From Sara’s and Jacob’s children, only Rosa was married. 16 July 1936 she married in Den Haag the hotel servant Hijman Lens and lived after 1938 with her husband also at Bezuidenhoutscheweg 149. Both werd deported 3 October 1942 to Westerbork, and put on transport 5 October to Auschwitz. It could be possible that Hijman Lens was forced to step out the train and selected for work in the subcamps of Auschwitz during a stop of the deportation train at Cosel. (it is known that of this transport 550 boys and men were unloaded at Cosel station). His wife Rosa was sent on to Auschwitz. Upon arrival there 8 October 1942, Rosa was killed immediately. Hijman Lens eventually lost his life 7 February 1945 at Gross Rosen.
Sara’s son Aäron Croiset was a photographer and unmarried. He lived in Den Haag at Korte Poten 20a. 18 August 1942 he was deported to Westerbork and 21 August put on transport to Auschwitz where he was killed. His official date of death is equal to the date of deportation – see therefore also the explanation of the Dutch Red Cross. Bizarre is the note made on Aäron’s registration card of the Jewish Council which reads: “his house key has been delivered 19 August 1942 to SS Haupt-Scharführer Fischer”.
Sara’s daughter Johanna (also known as Anneke), was unmarried and she too lived with her mother at Bezuidenhoutscheweg 149. She decided to go into hiding but was arrested due to treason and deported to Westerbork. Among others, she stayed since 13 September 1942 in barracks 37 and 21 but was eventually put on transport 10 March 1943 to Sobibor, together with her mother where both were killed immediately upon arrival there 13 March 1943.
During her period of hiding, she was “engaged” to her cousin Jacob Israël, a son of Marcus Israël and Clemence Maisonpierre. Jacob Israël was previously married to Marie de Jong but just before the outbroke of the war, they separated. In this period of hiding, Johanna Croiset and Jacob Israël had a baby daughter in March 1942 named Clemence. She was rescued by a neighbour at the time of the arrest of Johanna and Jacob. Clemence Croiset survived the Holocaust.
After his arrest, Clemence’s father Jacob Israël was deported to Camp Amersfoort, from where he was sent 16 July 1942, together with another 309 prisoners from Camp Amersfoort via Westerbork to Auschwitz, where he was killed immediately upon arrival there 18 July 1942.
Sara Israel self was also deported to Westerbork, where she stayed 13 September 1942 in barrack 37 and since 7 November in barrack 35 and 21, till she and her daughter Johanna were put on transport to Sobibor 10 March 1943 and upon arrival there 13 March 1943 immediately killed.
Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration card of Jacob Croiset; wedding certificate Croiset/Suplie nr. 1926-B 671; death certificate A2035 of 10 November 1938 of Jacob Croiset; City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Sara Israel; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Sara Israel, Roza/Rosa Lens-Croiset, Hijman Lens, Aäron Croiset, Johanna Croiset and Jacob Israël; website https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_Jodentransporten_vanuit_Nederland and an addition of a visitor of the website.