Carolina Lissauer, a daughter of Jesaja Lissauer and Recha Büttenwieser, was born in Amsterdam on 2 June 1889. She lived at home with her parents and sibs at Muiderstraat 8. But after the death of her father Jesaja Lissauer, (1842-1896), the care in the family was too much for her mother Recha Büttenwieser for all eleven surviving children and stepchildren (from Jesaja's first marriage to Dina Joseph Prijs).
In 1896, father Jesaja Lissauer died on August 27. In that year, on 7 June, a son Salomon was also born (the 15th child of Jesaja, the 9th child of Recha in the 2nd marriage), who however died after only 3 months on 17 September 17 that year.
Mother Recha then decided to send her son Joseph Abraham, who was then 9 years old, to the Dutch Israelite Boys Orphanage Megadlé Jethomim on Amstel 21 on 20 November 1896, where he stayed for almost 10 years until 12 February 1906.
Next, Carolina was sent by her mother Recha to the Dutch Israelite Girls Orphanage in March 1897 and on 4 August of that year her sister Isabella was also registered there. The Girls Orphanage Ma’asiem Toviem Megadle Jethomoth was located at Rapenburgerstraat 171.
Isabella stayed there until 18 January 1907 and Carolina until 26 August 1907. Both sisters then returned to the “parental home”, which had become Nieuwe Prinsengracht 81 1st floor up from 5 May 1899. From 4 August 1897 to 5 May 1899, the Lissauers' address was Nieuwe Kerkstraat 101 house, after which they moved to Nieuwe Prinsgracht 81 1st floor in May 1899.
Carolina's mother died in 1918 and was interred in the Jewish Cemetery in Muiderberg. Her sister Isabella then became the main resident of Nieuwe Prinsengracht 81 1st floor and lived there with Carolina and her sister Sophia, who was born in 1895 but died in 1926. She was buried then in Muiderberg.
In September 1925, Carolina left Nieuwe Prinsengracht and moved in with her brother Joseph Arjé Lissauer at Hoogeweg 81. In the years that followed, until 1940, Carolina lived with others at 6 different addresses in Amsterdam, including Plantage Kerklaan, Sarphatistraat, Dintelstraat, Mesdagstraat and Beethovenstraat. On 5 February 1940 she moved into a room at Hotel Hiegentlich in Nieuwe Hoogstraat 9-11.
Meantime, Carolina Lissauer had become a religious teacher. She was unmarried and during the compulsory registration of all Jews in the Netherlands in 1941, has been registered at Nieuwe Hoogstraat 9-11. Carolina was “exempt from deportation because of function”. As a religious teacher at the JVIG (Israelite Congregations) and as a voluntary carer at the Bureau for Social Affairs of the Israelitische Gemeente at Houtmarkt 10 (before the war called Jonas Daniel Meijerplein) by the Jewish Council, she was given an I.D. “Ned. Isr. Wijkvereniging nr. 0542 – voluntary carer”.
On 26 May 1943 a raid was held in the centre of Amsterdam, during which 3000 Jews were arrested and taken to Westerbork. Carolina was one of those victims and after being transported to Westerbork she was housed there in barrack 57.
On 1 June 1943 Carolina was put on transport to the Sobibor extermination camp with more than 3000 other victims, where she had to “celebrate” her 54th birthday on 2 June in the deportation train. Upon arrival there, Carolina Lissauer and almost all other deportees were murdered in the gas chambers on 4 June 1943. The only survivor of that transport of 1 June 1943 was Jules Schelvis, who later became very well known.
Sources include the Amsterdam City Archives, closed family registration cards/Jesaja Lissauer family; special registers/Jewish Girls Orphanage Rapenburgerstraat 171/Carolina Lissauer; Carolina Lissauer family registration card; Carolina Lissauer archive card; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Carolina Lissauer; Wikipedia website Jewish transports from the Netherlands.nl/transport 1 June 1943.