United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Anna Levendel was born on May 17, 1933, in Antwerp, Belgium, to Herman and Gizela Levendel. She joined older siblings, Lea, born July 17, 1931, and Zvi, born February 9, 1929. Her father was born in 1900 in Halmue, Romania. After he established a successful business in Antwerp, Gizela Walker arrived from Hungary and they married in 1926. Nazi Germany conquered Belgium in May 1940, and as Jewish persecution intensified, the Levendel family was forced to go into hiding, assisted by the underground resistance. Anna and her sister were able to stay together while living in hiding in various locations throughout Belgium. From 1942-1943, they were hidden in a convent in Brussels by Lila De Voghel. Through 1944, they were in hiding in the Wallonie region, aided by Max Migeotte and Fanard. Brussels was liberated in September 1944. Soon after this, her parents divorced. Anna, now 12, remained in Belgium with her father to finish school. Her mother, brother, and sister emigrated to Israel circa 1947. Many members of her extended family in Hungary and Romania perished during the war. Anna met Bernard Sifry, a United States serviceman, in 1959, while on a boat to Israel. They married in 1960 and moved to the United States. Anna spent nearly 30 years working in special education. The couple had 3 children. Hermann died in Antwerp on April 12, 1975. Gizela died in Israel in May 1984. Herman Levendel was born on August 3, 1900, in Halmue (Halmi), Romania, to Menachem Mendel Levendel and Dina Berkowitz. He was one of nine children in a large, extended Jewish family. By 1926, Herman was settled and doing well with his business in Antwerp, Belgium. He married a cousin, Gizela Walker, from Decj, Hungary. Herman and Gisela had 3 children, all born in Antwerp: Zvi, born February 9, 1929, Lea, July 17, 1931, and Anna, May 17, 1933. Nazi Germany conquered Belgium in May 1940. In early 1942, as German persecution of the Jews intensified, the family was forced to go into hiding, assisted by the underground resistance. Herman and Gizela obtained false identification cards, as Jos Devos and Gisela Verstraeten. From 1943-1944, Hermann worked in the mines in Le Borinage in the Hainaut region. The children were placed in hiding in different regions in Belgium, usually separately from their parents. Brussels was liberated in September 1944. Not long after this, Herman and Gizela divorced. Herman stayed in Belgium with the youngest child, Anna, who was enrolled in school. The rest of the family emigrated to Israel around 1947. Many members of Herman’s family in Romania, including his sisters, Etush and Rocji, perished during the Holocaust. Anna would marry and move to the United States in 1960. Herman remained in Antwerp where he died on April 12, 1975. Gizela Walker was born on November 13, 1896, in Decj, Hungary, now Sucz, Romania. She married Herman Levendel, a distant cousin, who had emigrated to Antwerp, Belgium, in 1926. Herman and Gizela had 3 children, all born in Antwerp: Zvi, born February 9, 1929, Lea, July 17, 1931, and Anna, May 17, 1933. The Germans conquered Belgium in May 1940. In early 1942, as the Nazi persecution of the Jews intensified and the German prepared to deport the Jews, the family felt forced to go into hiding, assisted by the underground resistance. Herman and Gizela obtained false identification cards, hers in the name, Gisele Verstraeten. The three children were hidden in different regions in Belgium, usually separate from their parents. Many members of Gizela’s family in Hungary and Romania perished during the Holocaust. Brussels was liberated in September 1944. Not long after this, Herman and Gizela divorced. Herman stayed in Belgium with the youngest child, Anna, who was enrolled in school. Around 1947, Gizela, Lea, and Zvi emigrated to Israel. Gizela died at age 88, in Nethanya (Natanya), Israel, in May 1984.
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Documents and photographs illustrating the experiences of the Levendel family during Nazi occupation in Belgium. Included are false identity cards for Herman and Gizela, birth certificate for their daughter Anna, correspondence from relatives in Romania and photographs of Anna, her older siblings, Zvi and Lea, their parents and extended family in Belgium and Romania. Also included are two photographs of rescuers Max Migeotte, Fanard and Lila who aided the family, at times hiding the children.
Anna Levendel papers