Postcard by Markus Singer. Collection

Markus Singer was born in Jaworow, Poland, on 11 February 1887 as the son of Emanuel Singer and Czarne Mesuse. Both his parents passed away before the war. Markus became the director of the Universum Film AG (UFA), the most important pre-war film studio in Germany. On 8 December 1921 Markus married the Christian woman Hilda Ofterdinger (born on 17 September 1897 in Vienna, Austria). The couple had one daughter, Ruth Singer, who was born in Vienna on 12 April 1925. After the Nazis rose to power in 1933 Jews were forbidden to work in the film industry and Markus Singer was forced to leave. During Kristallnacht, Markus Singer was arrested. He was detained for two weeks, until 25 November 1938. His release was the direct result of him signing a declaration to immediately leave the Reich. On 30 March 1939 Markus Singer fled to Belgium, illegally crossing the border near Aachen on foot, while his wife Hilda and daughter Ruth stayed behind in Vienna. A few months later both women were be able to flee to the United Kingdom and later to the United States. Markus Singer first settled at Bosduifstraat 28 in Antwerp and declared to the Belgian immigration authorities he had to leave Vienna due to the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis. Markus was in the possession of an affidavit for the United States and wanted to await his visa in Belgium. As a male refugee without family he was sent to the refugee centre at Marneffe in November 1939. Markus was still living there when Nazi-Germany invaded Belgium on 10 May 1940. He was released and first settled at Rue des Foulons 13 in Brussels, only to move to Rue d’Angleterre 36 in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, after a couple of months. In November 1941 Markus found a permanent residence at Rue de la Croix 33 in Ixelles, Brussels. He obeyed the anti-Jewish decrees and registered himself in the municipal Jewish register. On 3 September 1942, Marcus Singer was hospitalised. He remained there until 1st April 1943 when he returned to his previous residence at Rue de la Croix. In May 1944, Markus Singer was arrested by the Nazis and transferred to the Dossin barracks in Mechelen. Since he claimed to be married to a Christian woman, his name was added to the E-list or Entscheidungsliste, which included the names of the detainees whose case has to be investigated further. From the Dossin barracks Markus reached out to the protestant parish office in Grossgartach in July 1944 to obtain documents to prove the Christian descent of his wife Hilda. Markus and the other remaining detainees at the barracks were liberated at the camp in the night of 3 on 4 September 1944. After his release from the Dossin barracks, Markus returned to Rue de la Croix in Saint-Gilles. Early in 1947 he received his visa for the United States where he was reunited with his wife Hilda and daughter Ruth later that year.

Markus Singer sent this card to the protestant parish office in Grossgartach in July 1944. It was obtained by Kazerne Dossin in 2018.