Biography

The fate of Sara Benjamins-de Roos

Sara de Roos was a daughter of Jacob de Roos and Dina Frankenhuis. At the age of 39 she married 11 August 1914 the 51-year old widower Jonas Benjamins, born 19 March 1863 in Amsterdam as son of Joseph Jonas Benjamins and Sara Lehmans. Jonas Benjamins was previously married to Caroline Kossmann, to whom he was married 17 September 1894 in Cologne.

At the time of Sara’s wedding, Jonas Benjamins resided in Dordrecht, where he runned a practice as general practitioner. However they moved to Naarden, in 1935 to Hilversum and later that year to Maartensdijk, where Jonas Benjamins passed away 20 December 1935.

In 1936, Sara left Maartensdijk for Amsterdam, where she lived at 2e Sweelinckstraat 14 and in September 1938 she went to Sarphatistraat 185 ground floor. In 1939 her address was Weesperzijde 10 and 18 July 1941 again at Sarphatisttaat 195 2nd floor. 10 September 1942 she ended up at Muiderstraat 12 (lower house).

As wife of Jonas Benjamins, who was a G.P. she worked in the practice too as doctor’s assistant and she also had her “first aid” diploma. The Jewish Council exempted her from deportation (until further notice) because of function (gesperrt bis auf weiteres) where she was “employed” at Welfare Services of the Jewish Council, taking care of the poor. Deportation to the extermination camps has been spared to her: under pressure of the circumstances, she took her own life on 23 May 1943. Sara Benjamins de Roos  was interred 28 May in the Jewish Cemetery in Diemen.

Sources: City Archive of Amsterdam, archive card of Sara de Roos; website wiewaswie, weddingcertificate 622 for  Sara de Roos to Jonas Benjamins; website Akevoth/Mokum/Burialpermits, grave Sara de Roos, the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card for Sara Benjamins-de Roos and NIOD, Records Joodse Raad, box 36d, letter d.d. 31 May 1943

 

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