Flam-Isbutsky family. Collection

Leopold Flam was born in Antwerp on 16 March 1912 as the son of Herman Flam (b. in Lublin, Poland) and Mala Weitz (b. in Chelm, Russia). Leopold obtained Belgian nationality and studied social sciences, history, philosophy and physics at the university of Ghent. He started his career as a school teacher in Antwerp in 1939. Leopold married Julia Isbutsky (b. 03/10/1912 in Antwerp). Their son Plato Erasmus Hendrik Leopold Flam was born in Antwerp on 19 July 1939. The family lived at Van Aerdtstraat 38 in Antwerp and befriended their neighbours, the newlyweds Michel Alaers and Clémence Geeraert. When Michel and Clémence moved to Offerandestraat in 1942, Leopold Flam and his wife gave them a thank you card as a token of their appreciation. As of the end of 1940, Leopold Flam could no longer exercise his profession due to the anti-Jewish measures. He then became an active member of the resistance. In 1942,he placed his wife Julia Isbutsky and their son Plato in hiding and joined the Comité de Défense des Juifs (Jewish Defence Committee or JDC). This committee would hide over 3,000 Jewish children in Belgium. Leopold Flam led the press and propaganda department, was the editor of the illegal newspaper De Vrije Gedachte and published articles under the name “Flamme”. In May 1943, Leopold Flam was arrested and taken to the Dossin barracks. However, in October 1943 he was released for unknown reasons. He was arrested again in March 1944 and was this time treated as a resistance fighter. Leopold was sent to the prison at Begijnenstraat in Antwerp and from there deported as a political prisoner. He was liberated in Buchenwald and was reunited with his wife and son in 1945. Upon his repatriation, Leopold Flam joined the Aide aux Israélites Victimes de la Guerre (Aid for Jewish War Victims) and took on a teaching position in Brussels. In 1956 he became professor in philosophy at the Free University of Belgium in Brussels (Université Libre de Belgique). He also published numerous books on the subject. Leopold Flam passed away in Jette, Brussels, on 29 September 1995.

In 2014, Robert Alaers donated an original thank you card, given by Leopold Flam to Robert’s parents, to Kazerne Dossin.

Robert Alaers, 2014