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The family experienced many tragic events. Anti-Semitism eventually became fatal to them.
Moszek Fajbusiewicz (°18/05/1900, Lodz in Poland) moved from Nancy in France to Belgium in January 1926. Once he had settled in Brussels, he started work as a hairdresser in the Krakeelstraat. His wife Faiga Abramowicz (°08/07/1897, Lodz in Poland) followed with their little daughter Erna (°12/08/1925, Lodz) a few weeks later from Nancy. In February the family is reunited and lives in the Ons-Heerstraat in Brussels. A few months later the family is hit by the death of their little daughter, who dies at the age of just one. At the end of the same year Moszek and Faiga welcome their first son, Adolphe (°03/12/1926, Brussels). In 1928 the family moves to Anderlecht and settles in the d’Aumale Street. That same year their second son is born: Israel (°25/12/1928, Brussels). After a short stay in Anderlecht they move again to Brussels and live on the Zuidlaan.
Moszek starts his own business. For a few months in 1933 he rents a hairdressing salon in the Wasserijstraat together with colleague Towia Koilski. This salon and its contents were owned by the pole Wolf Rybsztain. After a few months, however, the hairdressers moved to Huidevettersstraat. Moszek’s family eventually went to live in this street too. In 1935 their youngest child was born there: Armand (°03/05/1935, Brussels).
On 10 May 1940 Germany invaded Belgium. That same day Moszek tried to flee to France to join the Polish Legion. However, he was stopped and returned to his family. In December Moszek registered in the Jewish register. In 1942 the family registered with the Jewish Association of Brussels, at that time they were still living in Huidevettersstraat.
On 26 June 1942, Moszek was deported by the Labour Office to northern France where, together with 2,251 other Jewish men, he was put to forced labour by Organisation Todt, a German company responsible for the construction of the Atlantic Wall. It is unclear whether Moszek escaped from the labour camp in France or was released. In any case he managed to return to Belgium. Under circumstances unknown to us, Moszek was arrested and interned in the Dossin Barracks. In January 1943 camp commander Philip Schmitt discovered that some Jewish prisoners had cheated on the postal packages in the camp. He had 37 men – including Moszek – transferred to Breendonk on 11 January 1943 as punishment. Only 25 of them survived the penal camp and were brought back to the Dossin Barracks in June 1943. On 4 June 1943 Moszek was registered there as person 505 on transport XXI. This train left Mechelen on 31 July 1943 and arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau on 2 August 1943. Moszek does not survive.
Moszek was already in the Dossin Barracks in January 1943. He possibly arrived there together with his wife and sons. Faiga was registered on the deportation list of transport XVIII on 4 December 1942, together with Adolphe, Israel and Armand. The circumstances of their arrest are unknown to us. Mother and children were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau on 15 January 1943. None of them survived.
