Sara Johanna Marianna van Lier, born 21 November 1867 in Groningen as daughther of Maurits van Lier and Josephine Visser, married 20 February 1902 in Den Haag Mozes Manuel Wolff, born 19 January 1869 in Amersfoort as son of Manuel Mozes Wolff and Caroline Israëls. The couple had two daughters: Josephine Caroline Henriette on 17 June 1903 and Carla Susanna Jacoba on 2 December 1904, both born in Den Bosch.
The Wolff family arrived 8 October 1910 from Den Bosch in Den Haag, where the lived at Van Speijkstraat 3. On 9 January 1939, Sarah and her husband moved to Van Beverinkstraat 19, where one week later, Mozes Manuel Wolff passed away on 16 January 1939, aged 69 years.
Their daughter Josephine had moved 3 March 1922 to P.C. Hooftstraat 16B in Amsterdam, but returned to Den Haag 23 December that same year. She married however 29 February 1924 in Den Haag Max de Vries van Buuren from Amsterdam, a son of Carel de Vries van Buuren and Bertha Johanna Calisch. At the same time, their new address became Paulus Potterstraat 40 ground floor in Amsterdam.
Josephine and Max had two children there, namely Carel in1924 and Paul in 1926. Presumaly under pressure from the circumstances, the family decided in mid-May 1940 to put an end to their lives. The official dates of death, established in Amsterdam are 17 May 1940 for Max de Vries van Buuren; 20 May 1940 for Josephine Caroline Henriette Wolff; 16 May 1940 for their son Carel and 17 May 1940 for their son Paul.
It is known that their daughter Carla was registered as probationer in Den Haag. Accoording her registration card of the Jewish Council, her last known address was Westerstraat 257 in Enkhuizen where she worked as nurse in 1940. On 7 July 1940 she was arrested by the Germans and sent to Westerbork. On 4 September 1944 she was deported 4 September 1944 with the last transport to Theresienstadt. Carla however eventually has survived the Shoah; in 1945 she was able to join a childrens transport from Therensienstadt to Switzerland as medical attendant and returned from there via Eindhoven, where registration took place, in the Netherlands. Till her retirement worked Carla at the blood transfusion service in Amsterdam. She passed away, unmarried, nearly 101 years old 25 August 2005 in Amstelveen.
On 4 December 1942, Sarah Johanna Marianne van Lier received a call at her last known address in The Hague, Frederik Hendriklaan 143, to report in Westerbork. However, from notes on her registration card of the Jewish Council, it appeared that she had submitted three certificates due to illness, was "under medical treatment" on 18 December 1942, on the basis of which she was provisionally exempted from deportation, but was still in Westerbork on 27 January 1943, where she was admitted to the hospital barrack 81.
Soon after, attempts were made to put Sarah on the Van Dam list in order to protect her from deportation. Her registration card of the Jewish Council contains a number of remarks to this effect, which read, among other things:
On 28 January 1943 there is the literal text: "Husband was an roentgenologist at the Municipal Hospital of Den Haag. Trying to place woman on Van Dam list! <---> JR (Jewish Council), The Hague". It was actually the Westerbork department of the Jewish Council, the so-called Contact Department, who took the initiative to get Sarah on the Van Dam list, based on information provided by Mrs. Wolff-van Lier. So the Jewish Council in The Hague was approached for this purpose by the Contact Department.
On 6 February 1943, the Jewish Council was requested to telegraph whether placing at the Van Dan-list could be expected soon.
On 9 February 1943 the Jewish Council of Den Haag reports that they are not familiar with any placement on the Frederiks or the Van Dam-list.
On 12 February 1943, the Jewish Council in Den Haag was requested whether they were able to achieve anything for the person concerned.
On 16 February 1943 the Jewish Council informed that the person concerned is not on the Frederiks list, nor on the Van Dam-list. For an ultimate attempt the person concerned may contact Mr. D. Simons at Koninginnegracht 1C in Den Haag.
On 18 February 1943, the Jewish Council informed about a serious reclamation of the request to place the person concerned at the Van Dam-list.
On 24 February 1943, the Jewish Council in Den Haag reports to Westerbork that the application is being processed
Thereafter, on 26 February 1943, the Jewish Council at Westerbork informed the Jewish Council in Den Haag that messages are undeliverable.
All attempts proved to have led to nothing. Even before Sara Johanna Marianne van Lier could address herself to Mr. Simons, she has been put on transport already 16 February 1943, with another 1107 persons from Westerbork to Auschwitz. On arrival there on 19 February 1943, she was immediately killed.
Sources: Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration card of Mozes Manuel Wolff and certificates of death of Mozes Manuel Wolff and Josephine Caroline Henriette van Lier; City Archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Max de Vries van Buuren and Josephine Caroline Henriette Wolff; list of Jew transports from The Netherlands; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Josephine Caroline Henriette Wolff-van Lier and Carla Susanna Jacoba Wolff.
See also the book: De Van Liers uit Leer.
Published: Den Bosch 2017 - ISBN: 978 94 622 88348 - Authors: Tom Verwaijen, Hans van Lier, Thecla Coesel.