Sara Schnitzler was a daughter of Maria Schnitzler and an unknown father and was born in Rotterdam on 24 February 1904. She lived with her unmarried mother Maria in the family of her grandparents, Samuel and Sara Schnitzler. On 4 September 1907 a brother of Sara was born, who has changed his family name in “Kuivenhoven” in 1927. From him nothing is further known.
After the passing of Sara’s grandparents (Samuel Schnitzler (1833-1913 and Sara Schnitzler (1843-1918), the “little” Sara, nearly 13 years old, then lives in the household of the “head of family” David Schnitzler, a brother of her mother Maria, who was also still unmarried then. In the parental house in the Almondestraat 24a were living too, Davids other unmarried siblings, most of whom left the parental home ±1922 when David himself got married.
Also Sara Schnitzler left the home of her grandparents and on 25 October 1922 she married Eduard Maas, a son of Philip Maas and Anna Suisman. Eduard was born on 18 November 1890 in Rotterdam and was a merchant of luxury items but later he became a stage manager. Sara and Eduard had a son together: on 28 February 1923 their son Levi Heiman Maas was born. However, the marriage did not last and by verdict of the District Court of Rotterdam of 5 March 1928 the marriage was dissolved and was registered in the registers of the Civil Registry of Rotterdam on 29 May 1928.
Sara’s ex Eduard Maas was registered on 10 December 1943 in Westerbork and deported to Auschwitz on 25 January 1944. On arrival there on 28 January 1944 he was immediately killed. Sara's son Levi Heiman was taken and registered in Westerborn between 19 and 22 October 1943 and locked up in the penal barrack 67. Together with his father he was also deported to Auschwitz on 25 January 1944 but on arrival on 28 January put to work as a slave labourer. Levi Heiman Maas eventually lost his life in Auschwitz on 31 July 1944.
On 12 April 1933, Sara remarried in Rotterdam the non-Jewish Jacob van Klaveren, born on 15 August 1885 as son of Jacobus van Klaveren and Dirkje Johanna Lex. He was a commercial traveller and married before to Bernardina Bartels but they divorced on 20 February 1933. However the marriage of Sara and Jacob did not last either and on 2 December 1940, by verdict of the District Court of Rotterdam the marriage was dissolved and registered in the Civil Registry of Rotterdam on 23 April 1941. As far as known, from this marriage one son Jacobus Johannes was born on 27 June 1933 in Den Haag.
After she divorced Jacob van Klaveren, Sara Schnitzler married on 25 February 1942 in Den Haag, then for the third time, the non-Jewish Hubert Johan Hofkes, who was born 15 Janaury 1906 in Maastricht. He was previously married to Euphemia Bernardina Louise Bodt, from whom he was divorced on 1 August 1936. In the newspaper “Residentiebode“ of Den Haag, their wedding announcement was published on 6 December 1941 in the family messages section: “H.J.Hofkes and S.Schnitzler”. They lived in Den Haag, Van Limburg Stirumstraat 85 but Sara’s last known address in Den Haag was Spui 144a.
In the end, Sara Hofkes-Schnitzler was arrested and taken 5 June 1943 to concentration camp Vught. Her camp registration card shows that she was put on transport from Vught to Auschwitz on 15 November 1943, a transport of 1149 deportees, which arrived in Auschwitz on 18/19 November 1943. Sara Hofkes-Schnitzler was not immediately killed but probably still put to work as a forced labourer. Eventually she lost her life on 31 January 1944 in Auschwitz.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Samuel Schnitzler (1831) and Sara Schnitzler (1904) and of Abraham Schnitzler (1907), Registraton Peoples Registry of Maria Schnitzler and Abraham Schnitzler, the certificate of acknowledgement Rotterdam nr 11514 dated, 5 Nov 1907 of Sara Schnitzler and Abraham Schnitzler as children of Maria Schnitzler; certificates of wedding from Rotterdam of Sara Schnitzler to Eduard Maas and Jacob van Klaveren; Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration cards of Eduard Maas, Jacob van Klaveren and Hubert Johan Hofkes; website Delpher.nl/Residentiebode Den Haag with announcement of marriage of 6 December1941 Hofker/Schnitzler; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Eduard Maas, Levi Heiman Maas and Sara Hofkes-Schnitzler; ITS Arolson/camp registration card Vught of Sara Hofkes-Schnitzler and the certificate of death for Hofkes-Schnitzler Den Haag nr. C3364 dated 15 September 1951.