Information: Wikipedia

A Stolperstein literally "stumbling stone", metaphorically a "stumbling block" is a sett-size, 10 by 10 centimetres (3.9 in × 3.9 in) concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution.

The Stolpersteine project, initiated by the German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992, aims to commemorate individuals at exactly the last place of residency—or, sometimes, work—which was freely chosen by the person before he or she fell victim to Nazi terror, euthanasia, eugenics, was deported to a concentration or extermination camp, or escaped persecution by emigration or suicide. As of 29 March 2018, over 67,000 Stolpersteine have been laid in 22 countries, making the Stolpersteine project the world's largest decentralized memorial.

The majority of Stolpersteine commemorate Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Others have been placed for Sinti and Romani people (then also called "gypsies"), homosexuals, the physically or mentally disabled, Jehovah's Witnesses, black people, members of the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the anti-Nazi Resistance, the Christian opposition (both Protestants and Catholics), and Freemasons, along with International Brigade soldiers in the Spanish Civil War, military deserters, conscientious objectors, escape helpers, capitulators, "habitual criminals", looters, and others charged with treason, military disobedience, or undermining the Nazi military, as well as Allied soldiers.

Tuesday 5 March 2019, Gunter Demnig, the German artists and creator of the Stolpersteine, was in Antwerp to lay 26 stones with the names of victims of Nazism.

Hélène Rutzki, wife of Chaim Jusek Szafran, was born on January 29, 1910 in Antwerp, her husband Chaïm was born on May 5, 1905 in Zembrow in Poland and worked as a diamond cutter. Helena was arrested in Deurne on 10 September 1942, then transferred to the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen and, together with other members of her family (Dora Saks), with the IX transport deported to Auschwitz, where she was murdered.

Her husband Chaim was arrested and sent as a forced laborer for Todt to the Atlantic Wall and deported on 24 October 1942 with the XV transport from Mechelen to Auschwitz. On arrival he was selected for work two days later, but he did not survive.

Dora Rutzki was born in Antwerp as the daughter of Elias and Sara Née Mermelstein, on April 28,1907 and married to Jacob Saks. Jacob was born on May 28, 1906 in Leeds, Great Britain, son of Gahim and Devorah. He was a diamond cutter.

During the war the couple fled to Paris and was arrested and locked up in the Drancy camp. They were then deported with the IX transport that left Drancy for Auschwitz on July 22, 1942. Dora and Jacob were selected for work and did not return.

Rosa Wolf- Marinower was born on November 9, 1914 and deported at the age of 28 with her two very young children, Renée 5 years and Nathan 3 years, by the IVth convoy on August 18, 1942, this convoy was the only one where there were no survivors.

Their father was taken as a forced laborer on the Atlantic Wall and then was deported to Auschwitz. Only survivor of the family having lost everything, his dear wife and children.

Hanna Tauba Smietana - Schteinkeler born on 01/03/1899 (Poland) and her husband Heynoch Smietana born on 25/03/1889 (Poland) deported by the 2nd convoy.

Mariette worked as a nurse during World War II and was a member of an Antwerp spy ring. In 1942, she was arrested and deported to the German women's concentration camp Ravensbrück where she had to do forced labor under very poor conditions for almost three years.

After her liberation on July 13, 1945, Mariette became chairwoman of the Ravensbrück committee where camp survivors unite. She was a very strong and kind lady who was always there for everyone. She was always there to help camp brothers. They could ask her anything. After the war, she worked from early in the morning until late at night to help the other political prisoners. Mariette passed away in 2007.

Mendel Fishel was born in Kedainlai in Lithuania in 1888. He established himself as a cloth manufacturer in the United Kingdom and married Emily Black, born in 1887 in Liverpool, in 1915. His two eldest sons were born in Liverpool, Maurice Bernard in 1916 and Léonard in 1920. Not long after, the family moved to Antwerp. Their third son, Léon, was born there in December 1921. Mendel focuses on importing English textiles in Belgium. His sons are extremely sporty. For example, Léon is part of the football team Maccabi.

When war broke out in May 1940, the two eldest sons, Maurice and Léonard, had British nationality. They are arrested by the German occupiers as citizens of an enemy state. They are housed in internment camps in Poland and Austria. Both survive the war.  Two years later, in June 1942, the Nazis arrested youngest son Léon Fishel and sentenced him to forced labour in northern France for Organization Todt.

In August, parents Mendel Fishel and Emily Black received a summons to work (Arbeitseinsatzbefehl). They present themselves at the Dossin barracks on August 24, 1942 and are registered on the list of the fifth Transport. Mendel and Emily are deported together to Auschwitz-Birkenau, they are given registration numbers 995 and 996.  In October 1942 Léon is transferred from the labor camp in northern France to the Dossin barracks. There he is put on Transport XVII on October 31, 1942. He also did not survive the deportation.

The two eldest sons survive their time in an internment camp. After the war, the eldest son Maurice emigrated to the United Kingdom, but Léonard remained in Belgium. He married Dora Brunner, who helped Maurice's niece, Mimi Balken, write letters in English during his imprisonment. Dora manages to hide during the occupation and thus escapes deportation. Léonard and Dora have two children : Shirley and Melvyn. Melvyn still lives in Belgium and tries to ascertain the fate of his family.

Perla, Blime, Itshak Moïshe and Mania were all arrested and deported to Kazerne Dossin and from there put on transport to the extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau and murdered there.

Malka Zimetbaum was born in Brzesko on 26 January 1918.  She was a cutter.  She was arrested during the razzia in Antwerp and put on the list in Kazerne Dossin on 14 September 1942.  Leaving Mechen 15 September 1942 on Transport X, transportnumber 999, tattoo number 19.88.

Malka Zimetbaum is a young Jewish woman of Polish origin who lives in Antwerp. Her father, Pinkas Zimetbaum and her brother Salomon moved to Borgerhout in 1926. Chaja Schmelzer, mother of the family, joined them two years later together with Malka who was 10 years old at the time.

Malka is stopped on July 22, 1942 while traveling from Antwerp to Brussels. The same day the family leaves Antwerp and moves to Brussels.  Malka spends 5 days in Breendonk before she is transferred to the Dossin barracks, which opens on that day. Together with other women who were arrested during that raid, she is involved in the administration of the collection camp.  On September 14, 1942, Malka Zimetbaum, 24 years old at the time, was registered on the Transport X list. The next day she was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Once there, the camp's SS selects her to work as a translator and courier between the men's camp at Auschwitz and the women's camp in Birkenau. She is assigned the administrative number 19 880 for this purpose.  This is the beginning of the legend of “Mala la Belge” – a heroic woman in a ruthless world. Malka uses her privileged position to help countless fellow prisoners and has saved several from a short trip to the gas chambers. Despite the great risks of being caught, she passes food and messages to fellow prisoners.

Malka begins a relationship in the camp with a Polish political prisoner, Edward Galiński, also called Edek. Edek worked for the Polish army and fought against the Nazis. He was arrested and deported to Auschwitz with 728 other political prisoners on June 14, 1940. He was registered under number 531.  Edek and Malka were able to escape from the camp on June 24, 1944, but were arrested on July 6 in Bielsko, close to the Czechoslovakian border. The next day they are returned to Auschwitz.  Back in Auschwitz, the two are locked up in Block 11. They are interrogated and tortured for a long time before they are hanged. Their execution took place on September 15, 1944 at the birthplace of Birkenau, in front of the other prisoners. Their execution serves as a dissuasion to others who plan to try to escape.

“Mala la Belge” becomes a symbol of resistance.

info: Kazerne Dossin

Helfgott Eliezer

Esther alias Hana Pschetizki (b. 10/02/1894 in Mlawa, Poland) had been widowed before the war. Esther and her deceased husband Joseph Helfgott had four sons :

Abraham (b. 06/04/1913 in Borgerhout, Antwerp), Isaak (b. 09/07/1916 in Antwerp), Eliezer (alias Leon, b. 09/03/1919 in The Hague, the Netherlands) and Israel (alias Simon, b. 10/05/1920 in Antwerp).

Although Esther Pschetizki survived the war in Belgium, she lost all of her sons.  Isaak Helfgott was able to flee to the United Kingdom and became a sailor in the British navy. He was killed when the St. Elwyn was attacked by a German U-boat on 28 November 1940.  Israel alias Simon Helfgott, member of the communist party before 1939, became a leading figure among the armed partisans in Antwerp known as “Rikske”. He was killed in action in April 1943.  Abraham and Eliezer were both deported from Drancy, France, in 1944 : Abraham Helfgott to Auschwitz-Birkenau via Transport 66, Eliezer Helfgott to Kaunas via Transport 73. Both perished.

Emilius Vos was born on 8 September 1911 in Borgerhout, he was a diamond cutter.  Arrested during the razzia in Antwerp.  Put on the list at Kazerne Dossin 29 August 1942 leaving Mechelen 1 September 1942 on Transport VII, transportnumber 922. Tattoo: 178886

Rebecca Nabarro was born on 14 February 1914 in Amsterdam, married to Emilius Vos and she was a housewife.  Arrested during the razzia in Antwerp.  Put on the list at Kazerne Dossin 29 August 1942 leaving Mechelen 1 September 1942 on Transport VII, transportnumber 923.

Andries Vos was born on 25 January 1938 in Berchem.  Arrested during the razzia in Antwerp.  Put on the list at Kazerne Dossin 29 August 1942 leaving Mechelen 1 September 1942 on Transport VII, transportnumber 926.

Isaak Vos was born on 13 February 1937 in Berchem.  Arrested during the razzia in Antwerp.  Put on the list at Kazerne Dossin 29 August 1942 leaving Mechelen 1 September 1942 on Transport VII, transportnumber 925.

Herman Vos was born on 19 July 1939 in Berchem.  Arrested during the razzia in Antwerp.  Put on the list at Kazerne Dossin 29 August 1942 leaving Mechelen 1 September 1942 on Transport VII, transportnumber 924.

The Vos-Nabarro family is arrested in Antwerp during the second major night raid and delivered to the Dossin Barracks on 29 August 1942. The family is deported to Auschwitz on 1 September 1942 on transport VII. Emilius Vos and a number of fellow sufferers are forced to get off the train in Kosel and have to leave their wife and children behind to perform forced labour in the camps of Upper Silesia. He was held in Kleinmangersdorf, Trzebinia, Annaberg and Blechhammer. There he is given the registration number 178886 tattooed on his arm. A death march takes him to Gross-Rosen and Buchenwald where he is liberated on 30 May 1945. His wife and three children have long since been gassed.

David Szlama Gutkind was born in 1878 in Witkithi, Poland.