Sara Weis-ova. Collection

Identifier
KD_01001
Language of Description
English
Dates
1 Jan 1941 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Collection
Languages
  • French
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Sara Weis-ova was born on 16 July 1914 in Borzhava, Czechoslovakia. Her parents were Bernhard Weis and Zeni Steinberger-ova. She arrived in Belgium in autumn 1938, where she settled in Antwerp at Jan de Voslei 2 working as a service maid for Adolf Radbill,, Berchem at Merodelei 37 with a certain Mr. Friedman who gave her some money for household tasks, and Borgerhout at Turnhoutschebaan 184 before moving back to Antwerp at Consciencestraat 36 in 1942. At Turnhoutschebaan she lived with her aunt Chaja Gutkind and her nephew Gilbert Furcage. She had no official profession, but functioned as a sort of nanny for Gilbert Furcage. In the beginning of August 1942, Sara Weis-ova received an Arbeitseinsatzbefehl, an order to 'perform forced labour' in Eastern Europe. Chaja Gutkind and Gilbert Furcage tried to convince her not to follow this order, yet on 11 August Sara Weis-ova nevertheless admitted herself to the SS-Sammellager Mecheln in the Dossin barracks. Here she was registered as nr. 494 on the deportation list of Transport III. On 15 August 1942, she was forced to get on a train and deported with Transport III to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The crammed third-class passenger train makes an ominous journey past cities such as Leuven, Eupen, Cologne, Kassel, Erfurt, Dresden, Goerlitz, Liegnitz, Breslau and Katowice, before finally reaching Auschwitz-Birkenau. Upon arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau on 17 August 1942, 2/3 of the occupants are immediately put to death. Systematic extermination now takes precedence over deployment as labour in the labour camps. Sara Weis-ova perished. The book entitled "The mysterious Dossin Barracks in Mechlin - The Deportation Camp of the Jews" was written by Jos Hakker during the war. He finished it on 7 September 1944, being few days after the liberation of the Mechelen transit camp. A sheet of remarks written by Eva Fastag comes with the book. In 1942, after a Jewish raid, Eva Fastag was transferred to the Dossin barracks. Eva Fastag was working at the Aufnahme which means that she had to draw up lists for the deportation.

Archival History

On 10 August 1994 and 19 May 1995, Mr. Gilbert Furcage-Hakker kindly permitted the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance, predecessor of Kazerne Dossin, to digitise one book and a photo in this collection. On 20 November 2023 Gilbert Furcage also permitted Kazerne Dossin to digitise two photos of him and Sara Weis-ova from 1941. Gilbert had come to Kazerne Dossin that day to record the name of his former Jewish nanny Sara Weis-ova for the 'Every Name Matters' project.

Acquisition

Gilbert Furcage-Hakker

Scope and Content

This collection contains two photographs showing Sara Weis-ova and young Gilbert Furcage outside in a park in Antwerp in 1941. Also in this collection is the book entitled "The mysterious Dossin Barracks in Mechlin - The Deportation Camp of the Jews" written by Jos, and a picture of the Dossin Barracks' front door used as the front cover of the aforementioned book.

Accruals

No further accruals are to be expected

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Kazerne Dossin Research Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu

Conditions Governing Reproduction

Contact Kazerne Dossin Research Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Book: 14*21.5 cm

Existence and Location of Originals

  • Book: Kazerne Dossin Research Centre Photos of Sara Weis-ova of the Dossin Barracks' front door: Gilbert Furcage, Private collection, Antwerp

Existence and Location of Copies

  • Kazerne Dossin Research Centre

Places

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.