Print - The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network - Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Printed' Typed : Ink : Beige, Black, Purple ; Ht: 9 1/2 in. x W: 7 7/8 in.

Physical Description: Letter : Paper : Printed' Typed : Ink : Beige, Black, Purple ; Ht: 9 1/2 in. x W: 7 7/8 in.

Notes: 1 page, single-sided. Folded once vertically and three times horizontally. Letter sent to Elizabeth Allen in Halifax, Nova Scotia from the Department of Mines and Resources, states that if the people are of good character and have all the necessary documents and pass medical examination they obtain visas to enter Canada. 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.