us-005578-irn517304
biographical history: Hans (later Jacques, now Jaakov) Jacques Fischler is the son of Hermann (Zvi) Fischler (b. October 17, 1898) and Sabina Estlein Fischler (b. September 30, 1899). Hans was born in Lancut, Poland, in August 1928, and the following month, his family moved to Liberec (Reichenberg), Czechoslovakia, where Hermann owned a large fabric store. He has one brother, Alexandra, who is three years younger. Jaakov attended public elementary school and spoke German at home. The family remained in Liberec until 1938. After Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland, the Fischlers moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia, where they lived as refugees. They had planned to immigrate to Australia and had even sent their luggage to France, but their papers did not arrive on time. Hermann, therefore, decided to send his two sons - then ages eight and eleven - to France to join some cousins. Jaakov had met the son of the French Consul of Prague at a sports camp, and the Consul arranged for French visas for him and his brother in 1939. Jaakov and Alexandre attended school in Toulouse, France. In 1943, when the conditions worsened, their relatives decided to hid Jaakov and Alexandre in a Christian boarding school called Pensionat St. Joseph. The Brothers who ran the school belonged to the Order of St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle. Only the principal knew they were Jewish. He gave the brothers a separate room and privacy while washing. At the end of 1943, as the Germans presence became even more pronounced, Jaakov’s cousins decided to try and escape with Jaakov. They went by car to Perpignan, France, near the Spanish border; Alexandre followed two weeks later. They then paid German soldiers to take them to the border; the soldiers were going to Spain to bring back goods to sell on the black market. However, Spanish guards caught them near the border and took them into custody. They were taken to Gerona, Spain, and Jaakov was placed in an orphanage where he was treated very well. The teachers were young Span…
identifier: irn517304
archival history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn517304/alternateIDs/1
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/843
has or had holder: us-005578
record resource structure: The Jacob Fischler papers are arranged in a single series.
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1944-12-31
scope and content: The papers consist of a letter written by Rabbi Moise Cassorla on September 8, 1941, attesting to a Bar Mitzvah ceremony to take place in Toulouse, France on September 20, 1941; a telegram sent to Sabina Fischler [donor's mother] by Jacob Fischler and his brother, Alexander; an identification tag from the American Joint Distribution Committee worn by Jacob Fischler (#43) and issued in Barcelona, Spain; a ticket issued in Bracelona on January 18, 1944; a letter written from Reichenberg (Liberec), Czechoslovakia, by Hermann Fischler [donor's father]; a letter written in English from Sabina Fischler to her sons; and thirteen family photographs relating to the experiences of Jacob Fischler during the Holocaust.
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1941-01-01
type: RecordSet
has or had some members with language: fra
has or had some members with language: eng
title: Jacob Fischler papers
has or had some members with language: deu
has record set type: Item
has or had subject: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/vocabularies/ehri-terms/701
record resource extent: folder 1
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn517304/acquisitions/1