Sara Schipfer

In the binder is a manuscript paper dated 21.12.1942 and which is a letter Sara SCHIPFER wrote to my grandmother; Charlotte Dockx.

In fact it is not a letter, it is a pre-printed document in german which gives us the following information from top to bottom:

"Sammellager Mecheln, Kasern Dossin" : This is a document made by the german occupier for the Dossin kasern in Mechelen.
"Lagernummer": can be translated as 'location number'. I think (to be verified) that this is your number within a transport.
"Transportnummer": is the number of the convoy (train) that went from Mechelen to the death camp Auschwitz.

I here write down the text she wrote down as things she wanted to be send to her.

Original in dutch:

"2 kussens van het 

bed in het kleine kamertje

onder de matras liggen de zakken, 1 pak brood, gekookte

aardappelen in schel, een

glas confituur, en honing

ligt er ook, een doos melk

in de schuif van de comode ligt 

havermout en gedroogde vermicelle

een beetje boter, in de keuken persil pakje"

I translate to english as literally as possible :

"2 pillows of the

bed in the small room

under the matras are the bags, 1 leaf of bread, boiled

patatoes with peel, one

glas of jam, and honey

there is also, one box of milk

in the drawer of the chest there are

oat flakes and dried vermicelle

a bit of butter, in the kitchen a small pack of parsley"

The fact I can show this letter is the proof that it reached my grandmother. The adress is clearly noted down, lange kievitstraat 101, Antwerpen. This street is very close to the Antwerp station and where a lot of jews lived already before the war. The street comes back in many documents I have, also with different house numbers.

Of course this document is very factual and does not leave room for any other message from the prisoner than a "wishlist". However I have many reflexions when reading this document.

1° The numbering (location 869, transport XVIII) is the proof that everything around the transport to Auswitz was planned and organized

2° The fact prisoners had to write this down is cynical. Why did it had to be written down on this document which is adressed outside ?

3° The fact this document reached me certifies that when prisoners were asked to write such a letter, these were effectively sent. So this means that the outside world, or at least the adressees, knew that transport was planned, and as they were numbered that they were several.

4° The document is well written. There are no grammatical or spelling errors. This means that Sara Schipfer was well educated and integrated in the antwerp flemish life. Sometimes the jewish community was described as closed, separationist. It was not, otherwise one could not write that well in dutch, imho.

Some questions that remain ;

- Why did she write to my grandmother ?

- Where did Sara Schipfer live before being arrested and emprisoned at Dossin ?  Probably Antwerp.

And the most obcessing ones; 

- Did Sara Schipfer survive deportation ? I looked up her name in the Yad Vashem database but could not find her name.

- Did Sara Schipfer had relatives then, and are there any direct or indirect descendants today for which this document could mean something ?

Update 2020: Several answers.

In "Moniteur Belge/Belgisch Staatsblad"

You should now read this update for new and improved understanding.