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Claude Poliakoff was born in Cairo on 15 June 1924. Sometime between her birth and 1938, her family moved to Germany, where they remained until they were no longer safe there as a Jewish family. The family came to Belgium in early December 1938. Claude’s father explained that they had fled Germany to escape the persecution of Jews and that the family had no intention of staying in Belgium for a long time.
Claude’s family settled in Antwerp, where they were still living when the first anti-Jewish ordinances were announced in October 1940. All Jews over the age of 15 had to register in the Register of Jews, including Claude and her family. This enabled the occupying forces to maintain an overview of the number of Jews in Belgium. In November 1941 the occupying forces established the Association of Jews in Belgium, which all Jews in Belgium were obliged to join. This provided an even clearer picture of the whereabouts of the Jews, which later made it easier to round them up. Claude’s father Ychiel registered his entire family with the Association in March 1942. From 17 January 1942, Jews were no longer allowed to leave Belgian territory without permission, making it increasingly difficult for Claude’s family to get out of Belgium. From 27 May 1942 – when all Jews over the age of six were required to wear a Jewish star – it also became immediately obvious who was Jewish.
Registration and stigmatisation eventually led to violence and the arrest of Jewish people. Claude’s family wanted to flee or go into hiding via France. They were arrested while attempting to cross the border into Switzerland. Initially they were detained in Besançon and then transferred to Drancy, where they were forced to join a transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau on 18 September 1942. Claude did not survive the deportation. She was only 18 years old.