Feder-Rubner family. Collection

Kazerne Dossin Research Centre Contact Kazerne Dossin Research Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu This collection contains three photographs featuring the Feder family alongside Mrs. van Bergen, providing visual glimpses into their shared experiences. Within the collection are also five letters written by Eva Rubner and Abraham Feder during their periods of captivity. These poignant correspondences, penned while Eva was confined requesting a parcel in the Dossin Barracks and Abraham in Boulogne-sur-Mer and Isques, offer insights into their resilience and enduring bond, them being addressed to Mrs. Van Bergen and Jacques David Feder. Additionally, the collection encompasses significant documents such as the wedding certificate of Abraham Feder and Eva Rubner, an identification card belonging to Jacques David Feder and two birth certificates belonging to Eva Rubner and her mother Sara Schnitzer which provides personal documentation. Among the preserved materials is a rent booklet maintained by Mrs. Van Bergen, offering records of the Feder family's residence and highlighting their relationship with their landlord, features two of her letters from the Feldkommandatur concerning Jacques David Feder, emphasizing the impact he had on Mrs. Van Bergen's life. A note by Doctor L. Van Elst underscores the compassionate care provided to Jacques David Feder. A group photograph, with an accompanying letter from Anny Altenhaus Friedman, showcasing Jacques David Feder and his peers on a summer camp of the Mr. Tiefenbrunner run orphanage in Antwerp after the war captures a moment of camaraderie. Lastly, a wartime letter from 1941, written by acquaintances in France, offers a window into the lives of individuals affected by the war, conveying their shared experiences and aspirations. Abraham Hersz Feder, born on 25 October 1899 in Bedzin, Poland, led a significant life intertwined with love, family, and tragedy. He found companionship and married Eva (Chava) Rubner, a woman born in the summer of 1907 in Oświęcim, Poland. Their union brought forth the birth of their son, Jacques David Feder, in May 1938 in Antwerp. Thaliastraat 16 in Antwerp served as their home, where they resided with Eva Rubner's mother, Sara Schnitzer. The warm embrace of their apartment was made possible through their tenancy with Mr. or Mrs. Van Bergen, their landlords residing at the same address. Tragedy struck when Eva Rubner was arrested during the events of the third large anti-Jewish raid in Antwerp, which occurred during the night of 11 to 12 September 1942. Unlike the previous raids, this operation took place in broad daylight, with victims plucked from the streets of Antwerp. Amidst the chaos, Eva Rubner was arrested on Thaliastraat where 24 persons were arrested, with her son Jacques David Feder by her side. In a desperate attempt to protect him, she denied their bond, and Jacques David Feder managed to quickly return home alone. Eva Rubner was registered at the Dossin barracks on 12 September 1942, designated as Nr. 845 on the deportation list for transport X. This train left Mechelen on 15 September 1942 and on 17 September the transport arrived at the Judenrampe between Auschwitz, the German name for Oświęcim, and Birkenau. Eva was once again back so close to her hometown, but the circumstances could not be more different than they were then. Eva Rubner did not survive. Abraham Feder was absent from their home during the raid that led to his wife's arrest. In May and June 1942, the Nazis carried out the deportation of 2,252 able-bodied Jewish men from Belgium to northern France, employing them as workers for subcontractors of Organisation Todt, the German enterprise responsible for constructing the Atlantic Wall. Among these workers was Abraham Feder. He was brought to Boulogne-sur-Mer and later also Isques. He had to do labour for the firms Loth & Bopp as well as Leonard Hanbuch & Sohne. On 29 October 1942, the names of these Todt-workers were added to the deportation lists at the Dossin barracks, although they were still in France. On 31 October 1942, Abraham Feder embarked on Transport XVII, deportee number 321, leaving northern France behind. The train made a brief stop near the Dossin barracks, yet the men were confined within the wagons, unable to disembark. After further prisoners were loaded, the transport left for Auschwitz-Birkenau, reaching its destination on 3 November 1942. There, Abraham Feder was selected as a forced labourer, his left arm marked with the indelible number 72450. The Auschwitz death certificates bear witness to Abraham Feder's passing on 19 January 1943, sealing his fate within the camp. On 19 October 1942, Mrs. Van Bergen, the family’s landlord, reached out to the Feldkommandantur in Antwerp seeking guidance to ask what to do with the child Jacques David Feder. The response from the Feldkommandantur indicates that David was left with Mrs. Van Bergen or was left behind in his parents’ apartment when his mother was arrested where Mrs. Van Bergen found him. Jacques David Feder lived with her for a little time as her adopted child. However, Mrs. Van Bergen panicked and decided subsequently to relinquish the child to the Nazis who placed him at the Linkebeek Jewish orphanage. One night he and other children were rescued by the Belgian resistance and swiftly whisked away to the safety a monastery. As time pressed on and the war continued to unfold, Jacques David Feder's journey took yet another unforeseen twist. He was taken under the care of a resistance family, finding sanctuary on a farm where he could find solace amidst the bucolic landscape.