Anna Poznanski. Collection

Anna Poznanski was born in Brussels on 23 December 1931. She was the daughter of Polish leather worker Maurice Poznanski (born on 10 November 1894 in Sulejow, Poland) and Rosa Foleder (born on 14 August 1898 in Sulejow, Poland). Maurice and Rosa had migrated to Belgium in 1919, where they settled in Brussels. Apart from Anna they had two sons who were also born in the Belgian capital: Henri Joseph on 9 June 1921 and Salomon Armand on 18 December 1937. In May 1940 Nazi-Germany invaded Belgium. The Poznanski-Foleder family then lived at Rue des Vers 49 in Brussels (today Rue Pieremans). They obeyed the anti-Jewish decrees, registering in the municipal Jewish register in December 1940 and becoming members of the Association of Jews in Spring 1942. Anna, her parents and brothers survived the war. Several other relatives of Anna were, however, deported and killed. Her paternal uncle Abram Joseph Poznanski as well as his wife Nacha Foleder and their daughter Dora Poznanski were deported from the Dossin barracks to Auschwitz-Birkenau via Transport XVIII and murdered. Anna’s maternal uncle Kiwa Foleder as well as his wife Chaja Chonyk and children Jacques and Anna Foleder were deported from the Dossin barracks to Auschwitz-Birkenau via Transport XXI and murdered. Anna’s second maternal uncle Wulf Foleider as well as his wife Sura Chana Schwartzberg and children Joseph Henri and Anna Foleider were deported from the Dossin barracks to Auschwitz-Birkenau via Transport X and XI and murdered.

Digital copies of the photos in this collection were donated to Kazerne Dossin by Anna Poznanski in 2012, via researcher Jackie Schwarz.

Anna Poznanski and Jackie Schwarz, 2012