place:"Brussels, Belgium" found 59 records - The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network

Sam Shenkier and Business Partners

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn45644

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 14,8 cm x W: 9,6 cm

Date: 1927

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 14,8 cm x W: 9,6 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1927

Physical Condition: Good

Language: English

Notes: b&w photograph with white border. An outdoor scene, in which three men wearing dress clothes are feeding pidgeons in the middle of a street. The street behind the men is crowded and the building in the background is a shoe store. From left to right, Sam Shenkier and his two business partners are shown. Narrative: Sam Shenkier was the donor's father. He owned a furniture store in Brussels, Belgium called Meubelmagazijn.

Accession No.: 2000.84.17

Name Access: Shenkier, Maurice

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Herman Shenkier and his Girlfriend

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn45642

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 14,7 cm x W: 9,8 cm

Date: 1928

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 14,7 cm x W: 9,8 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1928

Physical Condition: Good

Notes: B&w photograph with a white border. A portrait of a young man and woman in front of a backdrop. The woman is wearing a short dark coloured coat with a dark coloured skirt and boots. In her left hand, she is holding light coloured gloves and a small bag. Atop her head is a large-brimmed feather hat. The man is wearing a long light coloured trench coat with dark coloured pants and boots. His left hand is covered by a dark glove and he is holding onto the other glove. He is wearing a light coloured fedora hat. Those depicted in the photograph are Herman Shenkier and his girlfriend.

Accession No.: 2000.84.15

Name Access: Shenkier, Maurice

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Sam Shenkier and Business Partner

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn45645

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 15,9 cm x W: 11 cm

Date: 1929

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 15,9 cm x W: 11 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1929

Physical Condition: Good

Language: English

Notes: b&w photograph with a white border only along the length. An outdoor portait of two men wearing dress clothes in the middle of a street, holding their briefcases. In the background, there is a large building with an illegible sign. Those depicted in the photograph are Sam Shenkier to the right and his business partner to the left. Narrative: Sam Shenkier was the donor's father. He owned a furniture store in Brussels, Belgium called Meubelmagazijn.

Accession No.: 2000.84.18

Name Access: Shenkier, Maurice

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Alice Shenkier and her Brother's Wife

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn45639

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 5,4 cm x W: 7,8 cm

Date: 1937

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 5,4 cm x W: 7,8 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1937

Physical Condition: Good

Notes: B&w photograph with a white border. An outdoor scene, in which two women are sitting on a bench, on the deck of a ship. The woman on the left is wearing a dark coloured dress with a floral blouse peeking out at the collar and a dark coloured coat draped over her shoulders. The woman on the right is wearing a long dark coloured coat with a light coloured blouse peeking out at the collar. From left to right, Henia Eckstein and Alice Eckstein are shown.

Accession No.: 2000.84.12

Name Access: Shenkier, Maurice

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Sam Shenkier at the Grand Place

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn45659

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 10 cm x W: 7 cm

Date: 1938

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 10 cm x W: 7 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1938

Physical Condition: Good

Notes: B&w photograph with a white border. An outdoor portrait of a man standing in front of a fountain at the Grand Place. The man is wearing a dark coloured suit and a white collared shirt with a striped tie. The man depicted is Sam Shenkier.

Accession No.: 2000.84.33

Name Access: Shenkier, Maurice

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Work permit

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn76758

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Work permit : Paper : Printed, handwritten : Ink : blue, red, black, green, grey ; Ht: 13.3 cm x W: 42.3 cm

Date: 1938

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Work permit : Paper : Printed, handwritten : Ink : blue, red, black, green, grey ; Ht: 13.3 cm x W: 42.3 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1938

Physical Condition: Good

Language: English

Notes: Blue fold out document with five pages (recto-verso). The document is filled out in handwriting and assigned to Mindla Elgarten. A black & white photo is stapled to the top right corner of the first page. One blue fiscal stamp with a value of 35F on the bottom right of second page. Narrative: Donor is the son of Icek Rabinowicz and Mindla Rabinowicz (born Elgarten). Mindla was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1923 and immigrated to Brussels with her family in 1926. Icek was born in 1919 in Ciechanow, Poland and immigrated to Belgium with his family at the age of 10. The two met through a Jewish youth group. They survived the war in Belgium by concealing their Jewish Identity and carrying false identification papers. They were also both members of the Belgian Resistance movement where they distributed false identification papers to other Jews in Belgium. They married in Brussels in 1946 and had two children, Daniel and Élise Rabinowicz. They immigrated to Canada in 1951, settling in Montréal, where Icek found work in his profession as a pursemaker. Mindla later went to University and obtained a degree as a translator. Mindla had two younger siblings and only her brother survived by hiding at a clergy house. Her sister was arrested by Germans and sent to a concentration camp where she was presumably killed.

Accession No.: 2014.03.08

Name Access: Rabinowicz, Daniel

Places: Brussels, Belgium

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Identification card

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn76759

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Identification card : Paper : printed, handwritten : Ink : beige, blue, black ; Ht: 12.4 cm x W: 21.4 cm

Date: 1938

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Identification card : Paper : printed, handwritten : Ink : beige, blue, black ; Ht: 12.4 cm x W: 21.4 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1938

Physical Condition: Good

Language: French

Notes: Three panel identification card, double sided. A black & white photo is stapled to the center page with a signature above. Details are inscribed in blue handwriting attesting to the identification of Marthe Jeanne Petree. This false identification card was created for Mindla Elgarten by the Belgian resistance movement. Narrative: Donor is the son of Icek Rabinowicz and Mindla Rabinowicz (born Elgarten). Mindla was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1923 and immigrated to Brussels with her family in 1926. Icek was born in 1919 in Ciechanow, Poland and immigrated to Belgium with his family at the age of 10. The two met through a Jewish youth group. They survived the war in Belgium by concealing their Jewish Identity and carrying false identification papers. They were also both members of the Belgian Resistance movement where they distributed false identification papers to other Jews in Belgium. They married in Brussels in 1946 and had two children, Daniel and Élise Rabinowicz. They immigrated to Canada in 1951, settling in Montréal, where Icek found work in his profession as a pursemaker. Mindla later went to University and obtained a degree as a translator. Mindla had two younger siblings and only her brother survived by hiding at a clergy house. Her sister was arrested by Germans and sent to a concentration camp where she was presumably killed.

Accession No.: 2014.03.09

Name Access: Rabinowicz, Daniel

Places: Brussels, Belgium

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Identification card

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn50269

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Identification card : Paper : Beige, Red, Black, White, Blue

Date: November 24, 1939

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Identification card : Paper : Beige, Red, Black, White, Blue

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: November 24, 1939

Physical Condition: Poor

Language: French; Dutch

Notes: 1 page, double sided, folded into 3 vertical panels. On the interior is a photograph of Friedrich Rübler, the donor's brother in-law. There is also a circular stamp with the Belgian Coat of Arms in the centre. This identification card was delivered to foreigners in Belgium. It is stamped in red "JUIF-JOOD", identifying Friedrich as Jewish.

Accession No.: 1990.113.01

Name Access: Absil, Walter

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Membership card

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn50317

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Membership card : Paper : Ink : Black, Biege, Purple ; Ht: 12,1 cm x W: 7,1 cm

Date: 1939-1940

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Membership card : Paper : Ink : Black, Biege, Purple ; Ht: 12,1 cm x W: 7,1 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1939-1940

Physical Condition: Good

Language: French; Yiddish

Notes: 1 vertical fold. The inside, and the back have a chart with twelve boxes, one for each month of the year, there are three stamps on the chart on the inside. There is also an additional rectangular stamp on the inside. Membership card issued to Otto Bondy from the agricultural cooperative/society for immigration to Canada. Card was valid from 1939 and 1940. It was paid up until August, 1939. Narrative: the card belonged to donor's father. Donor believes that his father tried to get visas in different countries, including Canada. Otto Bondy was born in Wien, Austria in 1897. He was a leather manufacturer and married to Margarethe nee Fischer. the Bondy family left Austria the day after the annexion by the German Reich and found refuge in Belgium. During the war, Otto and Margarethe were sent to Malines transit camp and deported with Transport XXII A to Auschwitz Birkenau, Extermination Camp, Poland on 1943-09-20. They were both killed in Auschwitz. thei two children survived in hiding.

Accession No.: 1990.96.15

Name Access: Absil, Walter

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Letter

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn59496

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Handwritten : Ink : Beige, blue ; Ht: 29 cm x W: 20 cm

Date: August 1939

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Handwritten : Ink : Beige, blue ; Ht: 29 cm x W: 20 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: August 1939

Physical Condition: Good

Language: German

Notes: One page, double-sided, graph paper, notes written vertically and addition made in pencil on back. Letter from Helmut Isselbacher in Brussels to his brother Isaac Isselbacher in England. Helmut requests any type of fabrics be sent to him -old shirts and handkerchiefs. Narrative: Isaac Herbert Isselbacher was born 1919-11-20 in Isselbach, Germany. His brother was Helmut Isselbacher, born 1921-12-20. Their father was Jacob Isselbacher, born 1883-08-05. They had an uncle and aunt, David and Betty Loewenstein, who lived in New York City with their two children. Isaac left Germany on 1939-07-29, hoping to join his relatives in NYC. He only had the time to get to London, England before the war broke out and started working in a factory. He was arrested at his workplace as an ‘enemy alien’ and sent to Canada for internment in 1940. Isaac was interned in Camp N in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He was drafted into the Works Program Division for woodworking and net-making. In 1940, he received a last letter from his parents which suggested their imminent deportation. After his release, circa November 1942, Isaac worked as a locksmith. He married Fanny Azeff on 1943-12-26 at the Bnai Jacob synagogue in Montreal. Fanny was born on 1921-12-23 in Canada, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Azeff. Isaac was naturalized as a Canadian citizen on 1946-06-08. Fanny was naturalized on 1946-08-30 (she had lost her citizenship by marrying Isaac). Isaac’s brother, Helmut Isselbacher, was deported with Transport XXII A from Dossin casern in Mechelen (Malines), Belgium to Auschwitz Birkenau, Poland on 1943-09-20. Of the 2,450 people on the transport, 100 men were selected to work –including Helmut- and the remainder prisoners were gassed. Helmut was made to work as a welder, and was soon fitting new pipes for the gas chamber. He suffered a nervous breakdown as a result. As he was a valued welder, he was transferred to a labour camp in Upper Silesia (Poland) where he remained for two years. As the Russian army advanced, the 6,000 prisoners of this camp were evacuated by train. Helmut remembered being forced to march as the other prisoners died from exhaustion. When liberation was announced, the survivors travelled by ship from Luebeck, Germany, to Sweden with the aid of the Red Cross. After recovery, Helmut decided to remain in Sweden as a welder. Upon learning of his brother’s survival, Helmut travelled to New York in April 1946 to meet with him and their Loewenstein relatives. Afterwards, Helmut travelled to Canada bringing with him a washing machine and bras as late wedding presents for his brother and Fanny. By 1946-08-12, their parents were presumed dead and the two sons inquired into their estate. They received a deed for the land and travelled to the estate to discover that the current owner of their house was their old maid and her son had become the town mayor. Various disputes arose with the current ‘owners’ who believed the Isselbacher family dead. Isaac wished to discuss a settlement, but the mayor’s mother –not realizing Fanny understood German- called the neighbours at work to warn them not to come home as the Isselbacher sons had resurfaced. Payment for the land had reportedly been sent to Israel, though no documentation could be provided.

Accession No.: 1999.1.118

Name Access: Issley, Jason

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Medical certificate

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75124

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Medical certificate : Paper : Printed, Typed, Handwritten : Ink : Beige, Black, Green, Red ; Ht: 8,75 in. x W: 5,5 in.

Date: May 31, 1939

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Medical certificate : Paper : Printed, Typed, Handwritten : Ink : Beige, Black, Green, Red ; Ht: 8,75 in. x W: 5,5 in.

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: May 31, 1939

Physical Condition: Good

Language: English; French

Notes: 1 page, folded three times horizontally. Letterhead of the Medical Service of the Committee for Aid to Jewish Refugees. Two green fiscal stamps affixed vertically to lower left corner of page. Form was printed to issue prescriptions but is being used to provide an attestation of physical and mental health for Walter Bondy. Narrative: Walter Bondy is the birth name of the donor, Walter Absil. He was born in Vienna, Austria on November 26, 1924. He fled to Belgium with his family in 1938 and survived the war in hiding.

Accession No.: 1990.96.16

Name Access: Absil, Walter

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Calling card

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn90433

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Calling card : Cardstock : printed : Ink : beige, green, blue ; Ht: 3 in. x W: 4 5/8 in.

Date: [Prior to 1939]

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Calling card : Cardstock : printed : Ink : beige, green, blue ; Ht: 3 in. x W: 4 5/8 in.

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: [Prior to 1939]

Physical Condition: Good

Language: Dutch

Notes: 1 page. One-sided busines card. Printed card for Meubelmangazijn, a furniture store owned by the Shenkiers in Antwerp, Belgium. Narrative: Donor Maurice Shenkier was born on 1930-12-27 in Antwerp, Belgium. The German army started bombing Antwerp in 1940-05 and Maurice and his parents immediately fled to France. In Nice, Maurice was forced to be part of a fascist youth group. In 1942-07, the family had to flee again and they crossed the Spanish border illegally. They were then arrested by the Spanish police. Instead of sending them back to France, the officers helped Maurice’s family find a place to live. Maurice and his parents moved to Portugal where they stayed until 1944-04. They embarked on the Serpa Pinto ship to Philadelphia. Upon arrival, they took a train to Montreal.

Accession No.: 2000.84.03

Name Access: Shenkier, Maurice

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Letter

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn59331

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : PaperPaper : Printed : Ink : Red, beige, black ; Ht: 21 cm x W: 14 cm

Date: November 07, 1940

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : PaperPaper : Printed : Ink : Red, beige, black ; Ht: 21 cm x W: 14 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: November 07, 1940

Physical Condition: Good

Language: French; German; Dutch

Notes: Beige paper form printed in red, double-sided, two holes punched in left, Belgian Red Cross letterhead. Form used to locate missing family members. While in Internment Camp L, Canada, Herbert Isselbächer tried to find his brother Helmut. Dutch text indicates that Helmut Isselbächer was registered as a foreigner in Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gilli (district of Brussels). Narrative: Isaac Herbert Isselbacher was born 1919-11-20 in Isselbach, Germany. His brother was Helmut Isselbacher, born 1921-12-20. Their father was Jacob Isselbacher, born 1883-08-05. They had an uncle and aunt, David and Betty Loewenstein, who lived in New York City with their two children. Isaac left Germany on 1939-07-29, hoping to join his relatives in NYC. He only had the time to get to London, England before the war broke out and started working in a factory. He was arrested at his workplace as an ‘enemy alien’ and sent to Canada for internment in 1940. Isaac was interned in Camp N in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He was drafted into the Works Program Division for woodworking and net-making. In 1940, he received a last letter from his parents which suggested their imminent deportation. After his release, circa November 1942, Isaac worked as a locksmith. He married Fanny Azeff on 1943-12-26 at the Bnai Jacob synagogue in Montreal. Fanny was born on 1921-12-23 in Canada, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Azeff. Isaac was naturalized as a Canadian citizen on 1946-06-08. Fanny was naturalized on 1946-08-30 (she had lost her citizenship by marrying Isaac). Isaac’s brother, Helmut Isselbacher, was deported with Transport XXII A from Dossin casern in Mechelen (Malines), Belgium to Auschwitz Birkenau, Poland on 1943-09-20. Of the 2,450 people on the transport, 100 men were selected to work –including Helmut- and the remainder prisoners were gassed. Helmut was made to work as a welder, and was soon fitting new pipes for the gas chamber. He suffered a nervous breakdown as a result. As he was a valued welder, he was transferred to a labour camp in Upper Silesia (Poland) where he remained for two years. As the Russian army advanced, the 6,000 prisoners of this camp were evacuated by train. Helmut remembered being forced to march as the other prisoners died from exhaustion. When liberation was announced, the survivors travelled by ship from Luebeck, Germany, to Sweden with the aid of the Red Cross. After recovery, Helmut decided to remain in Sweden as a welder. Upon learning of his brother’s survival, Helmut travelled to New York in April 1946 to meet with him and their Loewenstein relatives. Afterwards, Helmut travelled to Canada bringing with him a washing machine and bras as late wedding presents for his brother and Fanny. By 1946-08-12, their parents were presumed dead and the two sons inquired into their estate. They received a deed for the land and travelled to the estate to discover that the current owner of their house was their old maid and her son had become the town mayor. Various disputes arose with the current ‘owners’ who believed the Isselbacher family dead. Isaac wished to discuss a settlement, but the mayor’s mother –not realizing Fanny understood German- called the neighbours at work to warn them not to come home as the Isselbacher sons had resurfaced. Payment for the land had reportedly been sent to Israel, though no documentation could be provided.

Accession No.: 1999.1.130

Name Access: Issley, Jason

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Letter

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75128

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Printed, Typed, Handwritten : Colour pencil; Ink; Graphite pencil : White, Black, Blue ; Ht: 10 3/4 in. x W: 8 1/2 in.

Date: November 08, 1940

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Printed, Typed, Handwritten : Colour pencil; Ink; Graphite pencil : White, Black, Blue ; Ht: 10 3/4 in. x W: 8 1/2 in.

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: November 08, 1940

Physical Condition: Good

Language: French; German; Dutch

Notes: Letter issued by Brussels police informing Otto Bondy that he has been fined 3 RM for a traffic infraction. Details are handwritten in the top left-hand corner, with signature underneath. Some unintelligible writing in blue pencil diagonally above this. Narrative: Otto Bondy was the father of the donor, Walter Absil. He was born in Vienna, Austria on January 1, 1897, and fled to Belgium with his family in 1938. He was deported from the Malines (Melechen) transit camp in Belgium to Auschwitz in September 1943, where he was murdered.

Accession No.: 1990.96.05

Name Access: Absil, Walter

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Letter

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn76252

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Printed, Typed : Ink : Beige, Black, Blue ; Ht: 8 7/8 in. x W: 6 in.

Date: May 1, 1940

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Printed, Typed : Ink : Beige, Black, Blue ; Ht: 8 7/8 in. x W: 6 in.

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: May 1, 1940

Physical Condition: Good

Language: French

Notes: 1 page, single-sided. Folded once horizontally. Printed on letterhead of Ernest Oury, in Brussels. Document is a letter to Tuwja Bercovicz (spelled Bercovitch here), regarding his naturalization. Mr. Oury asks that they meet so that he can examine Mr. Berkowicz's file. Narrative: Tuwja (Tuwyas, Tuwia, Tuvia, Tobias) Bercowicz (Berkowicz) was the father of the donor, Jack (Jacques) Berkowicz. Born in Vilna, Tuwyas immigrated to Belgium in 1933 and when Belgium fell to Nazi Germany in 1940, he fled to France, hoping to reach Morocco by boat from Marseilles. The donor's mother, Chana (Chane, Annie) (Trompeter) Berkowicz, born in Mielec, Poland, was living in Vienna, Austria with her parents and two sisters. In 1938, after the German annexation of Austria, the family fled, driving to France via Belgium. Tuwyas and Chana met in Lyon, France in 1941 and married. Their daughter Dorothée was born in 1942. The family attempted to flee France by boat in Marseilles, but were stopped by Vichy police. They fled Marseilles and went south, into the Pyrenees region, living in various small vilages. Their son Jack was born in Bernac-Dessus in 1944. The family survived the war and returned to Brussels from 1945-1948, and then immigrated to Canada with the help of the American Joint Distribution Committee. They were sponsored by Tuwyas' sister Luba, who was already living in Halifax. The Berkowicz family settled in Montreal.

Accession No.: 2005.01.35

Name Access: Berkowicz, Jack

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Walter Bondy and sister Liesl in front of an antisemitic poster “Le complot Juif”

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn51324

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 15,3 cm x W: 11,5 cm

Date: 1941

1 image

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: graphic material

Physical Description: Photograph : Paper ; Ht: 15,3 cm x W: 11,5 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1941

Physical Condition: Excellent

Notes: b&w, white border. Brother and sister Walter and Liesl Bondy are standing in front of a wall covered in antisemitic posters reading "Jewish conspiracy" (in French: Le complot Juif and in Flemish: Juden Komplott). A white V letter is also painted on the wall next to where Lisel stands. The V for victory was a symbol of resistance to the Nazi regime. Narrative: Walter and his sister had fake Belgian identity cards and managed to survive the war in hiding. Both their parents as well as their maternal grandmother were deported from Kazern Dossin in Malines to Auschwitz concentration camp and killed there. On January 14, 1941, Victor de Laveleye, former Belgian Minister of Justice and director of the Belgian French-speaking broadcasts on the BBC (1940–1944), suggested in a broadcast that Belgians use a V for victoire as a rallying emblem during World War II. By July 1941, the emblematic use of the letter V had spread through occupied Europe.

Accession No.: 1990.96.12

Name Access: Absil, Walter

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Identification card

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75132

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Identification card : Paper : Printed, Handwritten : Ink : Beige, Black, Purple ; Ht: 4 3/4 in. x W: 2 7/8 in.

Date: August 8, 1941-October 11, 1944

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Identification card : Paper : Printed, Handwritten : Ink : Beige, Black, Purple ; Ht: 4 3/4 in. x W: 2 7/8 in.

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: August 8, 1941-October 11, 1944

Physical Condition: Good

Language: French; Dutch

Notes: 1 page, double-sided. 3 graphic panels on each side, intended to be folded and carried as a booklet. Folded vertically 2 times. Square b&w photograph of cardholder stapled to document in centre of middle panel. Document is a Belgian identity card, numbered 999748, for Gilberte Claire Crombag. Her information is listed on left panel: at time of document's issue, she was unmarried, unemployed, 15 years old, and had lived at the same address in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre for the past 6 years. Narrative: Gilberte Claire Crombag was friends with Liese Bondy, the sister of the donor, Walter Absil. She gave Liese her identity papers in 1943, when Liese went into hiding at a convent in Waterloo, Belgium. The photograph is of Liese Bondy.

Accession No.: 1990.96.09

Name Access: Absil, Walter

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Certificate

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn75168

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Certificate : Paper : Handwritten, Typed, : Ink : Beige, Black ; Ht: 5 3/4 in. x W: 8 1/4 in.

Date: June 9, 1942

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Certificate : Paper : Handwritten, Typed, : Ink : Beige, Black ; Ht: 5 3/4 in. x W: 8 1/4 in.

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: June 9, 1942

Physical Condition: Good

Language: German

Notes: 1 page, double-sided. Document exempting Erika Rübler from wearing the yellow star. She had to carry it with her Identification card. It was valid for 1 month and was extended twice to August 31, 1942. Additional handwritten note by the signatory on the bottom right corner that her name should be taken off the Jewish register.

Accession No.: 2011X.64.10

Name Access: Absil, Walter

Places: Brussels, Belgium, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Images

Family register

https://www.cjhn.ca/link/cjhn76766

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Family register : printed, handwritten : red:beige, green, gold, black ; Ht: 19 cm x W: 12.5 cm

Date: 1942-1951

2 images

Collection: Montreal Holocaust Museum

Description Level: Item

Material Type: textual record

Physical Description: Family register : printed, handwritten : red:beige, green, gold, black ; Ht: 19 cm x W: 12.5 cm

Other Title Information: Documentary Artifact

Date: 1942-1951

Physical Condition: Good

Language: French

Notes: Hardcover red booklet with gold decoration, containing 18 pages. Inside cover is yellow with gold decorations and the first page is pale green. The details are handwritten in black ink certifiying the marriage of Mindla Elgarten and Icek Rabinowicz. The birthdates of their two children: Daniel and Elise Rabinowicz are recorded on page two. Narrative: Donor is the son of Icek Rabinowicz and Mindla Rabinowicz (born Elgarten). Mindla was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1923 and immigrated to Brussels with her family in 1926. Icek was born in 1919 in Ciechanow, Poland and immigrated to Belgium with his family at the age of 10. The two met through a Jewish youth group. They survived the war in Belgium by concealing their Jewish Identity and carrying false identification papers. They were also both members of the Belgian Resistance movement where they distributed false identification papers to other Jews in Belgium. They married in Brussels in 1946 and had two children, Daniel and Élise Rabinowicz. They immigrated to Canada in 1951, settling in Montréal, where Icek found work in his profession as a pursemaker. Mindla later went to University and obtained a degree as a translator. Mindla had two younger siblings and only her brother survived by hiding at a clergy house. Her sister was arrested by Germans and sent to a concentration camp where she was presumably killed.