be-002157-kd 01035
type: RecordSet
archival history: On 18 September 2024, Théodore (Théo) Kornblum participated in recording his testimony with Veerle Vanden Daelen and Jarno Maertens of Kazerne Dossin. On 5 October 2024, Théodore (Théo) Kornblum permitted Kazerne Dossin to digitize 10 photos in this collection. On 5 November 2024, Théodore (Théo) Kornblum donated one other photo in this collection.
biographical history: Théodore (Théo) Kornblum was born in Borgerhout in 1932, the son of Salomon Kornblum, a dockworker, and Rywka Szwarcfuter, a kind, caring housewife. Although the family was more traditional than religious, Yiddish was spoken at home. When the Nazis invaded Belgium, Théo and his family fled with a cart all the way to De Panne by the Belgian coast, however by then the whole of Belgium was occupied and they returned to Antwerp. Théo went to school at the Jewish school Tachkemoni in Antwerp. At the age of ten, Théo witnessed the Antwerp pogrom on Easter Monday 1941, during which Jewish shop windows were smashed, and two synagogues were set on fire. He saw sacred books and furniture being thrown from the windows of the synagogues and set ablaze. The smell of that day would stay with him forever. In June 1942, Théo was forced to wear the yellow Star of David and narrowly escaped a Nazi roundup. A month later, his father was conscripted by the German Todt organization to work in a quarry in Merlemont, Wallonia, where Jewish labourers were treated as slaves. The family initially lived in barracks, but later his father managed to rent a house. Théo and his six-year-old brother, Maurice, spent a few carefree days there, making friends in the village. However, on 31 January 1943, villagers warned them that the Gestapo was approaching. Théo’s mother quickly said goodbye, and in her grave tone, Théo, who was almost eleven, understood the danger ahead. From that moment, he had to grow up quickly, adopting the false name Théo Legrand. It was the last time he saw his mother, who was just 35 years old. A young woman from the resistance helped him hide in the forest until nightfall, after which she took him by train to Namur, where Gestapo got on as well keeping Théo uneasy. Meanwhile, his parents hid in the attic of a local farmer Piet for the next six weeks. Around 20 March, believing it was safe, his mother ventured out to prepare a hot meal in the village canteen, like other Jewi…
location of copies: Kazerne Dossin Research Centre
location of originals: Kazerne Dossin Research Centre: testimony. Private Collection Théodore (Théo) Kornblum: photographs.
accruals: No further accruals are to be expected.
conditions of access: Contact Kazerne Dossin Research Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu
conditions of use: Contact Kazerne Dossin Research Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu
date: prewar-2024
has or had holder: be-002157
has or had some members with language: nld
has or had subject: 800
has or had subject: 519
has or had subject: 112
has or had subject: 598
has or had subject: 556
has record set type: Collection
identifier: KD_01035
record resource extent: 1 video file (1 testimony interview) and 11 digitised images (11 photos)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: This collection includes a video testimony recorded in Knokke-Heist on 18 September 2024, conducted by Veerle Vanden Daelen and Jarno Maertens of Kazerne Dossin, in which Kornblum recounts his experiences of survival and hiding during the Holocaust. Accompanying this are several photographs that trace his family history, including prewar images of his parents, Salomon Kornblum and Rywka Szwarcfuter, on their wedding day, and early images of their family with baby Théodore, as well as a personal photograph of Salomon flexing his muscles before the war and a photo of Théodore and his brother Maurice. The collection also features a photograph of a cherished mandolin given to Théodore by his mother before their separation, the only surviving item he has from her after her deportation to Auschwitz with Transport XX. A photo of Théodore playing the mandoline as a child is included as well. Postwar materials include photographs capturing family moments, such as a beach outing in Knokke-Heist in 1950 with family friends including Arthur Langerman, Théodore's wedding in 1952, and later images of his children and his daughter in Knokke-Heist in 2007. The collection also preserves the memory of Rywka Szwarcfuter with a photograph of a memorial plaque in Merlemont.
title: Théodore Kornblum. Collection