be-002157-kd 00127
type: RecordSet
archival history: In 2013 Luce Cremers, wife of Maurice Abramow, kindly permitted the digitisation of selected items from her husband's private collection. She donated the original photo album to Kazerne Dossin.
biographical history: Joseph Abramow was born in Minsk, Belarus (then Russia), on 25 November 1905 as the son of Abraham Abramow and Ethele Choulman. In 1924 Joseph requested a visa for Belgium to study at the university in Ghent. He arrived in October of that year and found living quarters at Rue de la Caverne. In 1925 Joseph obtained a permanent visa. In 1928 he moved from Ghent to Antwerp and became a clerk at a trading company although he had obtained a degree in chemical engineering. On 12 December 1931, Joseph Abramow married Dunia alias Dina Menakier, born on 7 March 1908 in Horodziej, Belarus (then Poland), as the daughter of Szymon Menakier and Bejla Schwartz. Dunia had emigrated to Belgium in December 1930 and first lived in Bressoux before moving to Antwerp. By the time of their marriage, Joseph had found employment as a chemical engineer. The couple settled at Lange Herentalsestraat in Antwerp, where on 21 May 1932, Dunia gave birth to their son Maurice. Joseph and Dunia started a pharmacy at Plantin en Moretuslei, where Joseph worked as a chemist and Dunia ran the store. They also supported Hoda Menaker, the widow of Joseph’s brother Salomon Abramow, and her son Samuel who migrated to Belgium in 1932. In 1933, Hoda married Moise Creizberg and moved out of the Abramow residence. By 1935 Joseph and Dunia had split up. While he moved to Brussels where he opened his own shop, Dunia continued the pharmacy in Antwerp together with her brother-in-law Michael Sapiro, husband of Dunia’s sister Jessel alias Lena Menakier. The Sapiro’s had two daughters: Jenny (born on 13 July 1932 in Antwerp) and Adolphine alias Tania (born on 3 September 1933 in Antwerp). As their parents often worked, Jenny, Tania and Maurice spent a lot of time together and with a caretaker. Maurice looked upon his cousins as his sisters. In the night of 13 on 14 August 1942 the apartment of the Sapiro family in Antwerp was invaded by the Nazis. Michael, Lena and their daughters were arrested and transferred to the…
location of copies: Digital copy available as collection KD_00127 at Kazerne Dossin
location of originals: Luce Cremers, Private collection, Belgium (photo album stored at Kazerne Dossin)
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Selected items digitally stored at Kazerne Dossin
related material: The pictures of Jenny and Adolphine (Tania) Sapiro as well as Samuel Abramoff, which are part of this collection, were also added to the Give them a Face portrait collection (KD_00017).
accruals: No further accruals are to be expected
conditions of access: Contact Kazerne Dossin Documentation Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu
conditions of use: Contact Kazerne Dossin Documentation Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu
has beginning date: 1928-01-01
has end date: 1966-12-31
has or had holder: be-002157
has or had some members with language: nld
has or had some members with language: fra
has or had subject: 904
has or had subject: 519
has record set type: Collection
identifier: KD_00127
record resource extent: 111 digitised images (22 photos, 1 photo album with photos, 8 documents)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: This collection contains: wedding photos of Joseph Abramow and Dunia Menakier; photos of the Abramow-Menakier family on holiday at the beach and in a rural setting; photos of relatives including Jesel alias Lena Menakier and her daughters Adolphine alias Tania and Jenny Sapiro as well as the Creizberg-Menaker (Menakier) family; a photo album of an unidentified family, possibly the rescuers of Maurice Abramow; a 1942 New Year’s letter from Adolphine (Tania) Sapiro to her aunt Massa Sapiro and uncle Boris Grinberg; two notebooks of Maurice Abramow used at school while in hiding as Maurice Allart; post-war letters from Joseph Abramow to his son Maurice Abramow.
title: Abramow-Menakier family. Collection