Tobias Schiff

Tobias Schiff emigrated from Poland to Belgium in 1928, with his mother, Rywa Templer, and his older sister Lunia. Tobias’ father, Mozes, had already been employed in Antwerp for several years as a diamond sorter. The Schiff family were living there when war broke out on 10 May 1940. Identified as a Jew, Lunia was arrested in July 1942 and deported via the Dossin Barracks. Tobias and his parents fled, attempting to cross the frontier between occupied and unoccupied France on 13 August 1942. They were detained by German Feldgendarmen and interned successively at Bourges, Pithiviers and Drancy. The family was deported via Transport 25 on 28 August 1942. Tobias and his father were ordered off the train in Cosel, while his mother continued the journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Rywa Templer (39) did not survive deportation. 

Tobias and Mozes stayed together. For a year and a half they worked as slave labourers at camps including Sakrau, Spitkowice and Trzebinia. Mozes Schiff (45) was examined at Auschwitz-Birkenau on 18 January 1944 and found to be too weak to continue working. He was held at Barrack 6 for three days and four nights, during which time Tobias visited his father every day and brought him food. On 21 January 1944, Mozes was sent to the gas chamber. Tobias had to continue alone, surviving a series of camps, including Buna-Monowitz, Dora and Gleiwitz. He was liberated by the British army at Bergen-Belsen on 15 April 1945. Tobias Schiff (20) returned to Belgium two weeks later, where he went on to marry twice and father four children. He passed away in 1999.