Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Star of David badges distributed to Herman and Gizela Levendel in Belgium in June 1942, but never cut out and used. Nazi Germany occupied Belgium in May 1940 and immediately enacted anti-Jewish laws. As the persecution of the Jews increased, the Levendel family was forced to go into hiding, often moving from region to region, assisted by the underground resistance. Herman and Gizela were able to obtain false identification cards, but their 3 children had to remain hidden. Anna, b. 1933, and Lea, b. 1931, were able to stay together during this period, but their brother, Zvi, b. 1929, sometimes had to be hidden separately. In September 1944, Brussels was liberated and eventually the entire country was free. The family was reunited but not long after the war, Gizela and Herman divorced. Herman and Anna, the youngest child, remained in Antwerp; Gizela and the 2 older children emigrated to Israel.
- Date
-
issue:
1942 June
- Geography
-
issue:
Antwerp (Belgium)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Anna Levendel
- Markings
- front, center of each of 2 stars, black dye : J
- Contributor
-
Subject:
Anna Levendel
Subject: Gizela Levendel
Subject: Herman Levendel
- Biography
-
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.
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.
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.
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Identifying Artifacts
- Category
-
Badges
- Object Type
-
Star of David badges (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Yellow rectangular cloth printed with 2 adjacent 6 pointed Stars of David. The star outline is formed from 2 overlapping, dyed triangles and has a J printed in the center.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 6.875 inches (17.463 cm) | Width: 3.800 inches (9.652 cm)
- Materials
- overall : cloth, dye
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Hidden children (Holocaust)--Belgium--Biography. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Belgium--Personal narratives. Jews--Persecutions--Belgium. Jewish children in the Holocaust--Belgium--Biography. Jewish families--Belgium--Biography. Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust--Belgium.
- Geographic Name
- Belgium--German occupation, 1940-1945.
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The unused Star of David badges were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2009 by Anna Levendel, the daughter of Gizela and Herman Levendel.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-07-28 18:26:20
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn39855
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
- By Appointment
- Request 21 Days in Advance of Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
- Request to See This Object
Contact Us
Also in Anna Levendel family collection
The collection consists of artifacts, documents, and photographs relating to the experiences of Herman and Gizela Levendel and their children, Anna, Lea, and Zvi who lived in hiding in German occupied Belgium during the Holocaust.
Date: 1940-1946
Anna Levendel papers
Document
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.