So many people, so many stories

The Jewish community lived in fear during the war. Almost half the total number of Jews living in Belgium ended up in Dossin barracks. The rest went into hiding, were active in the resistance or fled. So many people, each with a story to tell. You can read their extraordinary stories here.

Deportation
In hiding
Elie Guy Francès as a child, before the war

Elie Guy Francès

After the raid on the Jewish neighbourhoods of Brussels on the night of 3 September 1942, Moïse Francès realises that he must find a hiding place for himself, his wife, son and daughter.

Family Margulies-Mahler

Family Margulies-Mahler

The Margulies-Mahler family obtained the naturalization in 1926 which granted them Belgian citizenship. Anne, Jacques, Helena-Ella, Liliane and Armand were deported with transport XXIIB to Auschwitz-Birkenau. They were murdered. Georges Mahler went into hiding in Aarschot with his wife Selma Lichtmann and children Charles and Nanette. They were never arrested and survived World War II.

Family Sztainke-Zandlowicz

Family Sztainke-Zandlowicz

Thanks to the kind women Balthus and Allard, the children are able to go into hiding in the Fraiture castle and survive the war.

Jewish Resistance
Adolphe Littmann

Adolphe Littmann

Discover the courageous story of Adolphe Littmann, a Jewish Belgian who risked his own life to save Jewish families during World War II. Together with André Thouroude, he founded a company “Désinfecta”, using pest control as a cover whilst in reality protecting people and passing on information to the resistance.

Lotte Sontag

Lotte Sontag

Lotte joined the communist resistance to destabilise the Wehrmacht.

Hertha Ligeti

Hertha Ligeti

Hertha Ligeti joined the communist resistance to destabilise the Wehrmacht.

Refugees
Louis Alexander and Elisabeth Nykerk

Louis Alexander and Elisabeth Nykerk

Louis Alexander fled Germany in 1934. He married Elisabeth Nykerk in Schaerbeek on August 6, 1938. Louis was arrested in 1940 and deported to Perpignan in France. After his release, he was arrested again and deported with transport XXIV. Louis died in 1945 in Theresienstadt. Elisabeth presumably stayed in the Netherlands and survived.

Karl Guenther

Karl Guenther

Karl Guenther fled Germany in fear of the persecution of Jews by the Gestapo. He received assistance from the Assistance Council for Jewish Refugees. Karl accepted the Arbeitseinsatzbefehl in August 1942 and was deported on transport III from the Dossin Barracks to Auschwitz-Birkenau. He did not survive the war.

Gustav Abineri

Gustav Abineri

Gustav Abineri fled Germany and arrived in Belgium on August 26, 1938. He said he would stay in Belgium pending emigration abroad. Gustav was required to leave Belgium in 1940 but this could not take place due to health problems. He was deported with transport VIII to Auschwitz-Birkenau and did not survive the war.

Rescuers
Adolphe Littmann

Adolphe Littmann

Discover the courageous story of Adolphe Littmann, a Jewish Belgian who risked his own life to save Jewish families during World War II. Together with André Thouroude, he founded a company “Désinfecta”, using pest control as a cover whilst in reality protecting people and passing on information to the resistance.

They did not survive
Sarah Rozman

Sarah Rozman

Aron Aronowicz

Aron Aronowicz

Fernande Fain

Fernande Fain

They survived
Leopold Flam

Leopold Flam

Lotte Katscher

Lotte Katscher