Black leather bi-fold wallet used by a Jewish family in hiding

Lea Mescherowsky was born on March 1, 1906, in Aleksandriia, Russia (now Oleksandriia, Ukraine), to a Jewish couple, Hersh Tzvi (Gregor) and Tauba (1885-1968) Mescherowsky. Lea had four siblings: Shura (1909-1997), Sasha Alexander, Bernard (1914-1985), and Arnold. Lea’s father Gregor designed agricultural equipment and had a business in Odessa. In 1917, the Russian Revolution began. In 1921, Lea and her family illegally fled because of the pogroms. They went to Zoppot, Germany (Sopot, Poland), then to Danzig (Gdansk, Poland). There was a large community of Jewish Russian refugees in Danzig. The family was able to have a normal life and attend synagogue.

In January 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany. Gdansk was formerly part of Prussia and still very influenced by German politics and culture. Antisemitism increased and life became difficult for the Mescherowsky family. Lea experienced bad treatement for being Jewish. In 1934, Lea left Danzig and lived briefly in Berlin, where she worked in a bank. She then moved to Brussels, Belgium. In 1935, Lea’s father Gregor died of a heart attack. Lea’s sister Shura came to live with her in Brussels. In 1936, Lea’s mother, Tauba, and brother, Bernard, also moved to Brussels. Lea’s brother Sasha and his wife emigrated to Palestine. In 1936, Lea met Mendel Abramowicz, who was born on March 3, 1903, in Łódź, Poland. He had three siblings: Lena, Golda, and Henri. Mendel had immigrated to Palestine in the 1920’s, but returned after a short time. He then moved to Belgium and trained as a cantor, but worked in the diamond and fur trade. His family owned a kosher restaurant in Ostend. Lea and Mendel married in 1937. That same year, Lea’s brother Arnold died in an accident. In 1938, Lea and Mendel had a daughter, Jenny Ita, who died of pneumonia when she was six weeks old. After Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Tauba, Shura, and Bernard went to France.

On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded Belgium. In May 1942, it was decreed that Jews had to wear Star of David badges. In September 1942, the Germans began rounding up Jews for deportation, so Lea and Mendel went into hiding. On October 7, Lea had a son, Georges. The doctor who delivered Georges was a resistance member and contacted the Association des Juifs en Belgique (Association of Jews in Belgium). They found a hiding place for Georges in a hospital, the Clinique Edith Cavell. The AJB later found another place for Georges about ten miles outside of Brussels. Lea could visit him occasionally, but there was a risk that she would be caught and arrested. Mendel could not come because he looked Jewish and was afraid he would be arrested. The AJB did not usually encourage Jews to go into hiding, but Mendel’s brother-in-law Joseph (Oskar) Orbach, Golda’s husband, worked for the AJB and the Comite Defense des Juifs (Defense Committee of Jews) and helped many Jewish children. Lea and Mendel used the false last name Abeloos and stayed in their own apartment. At one point, Lea returned to their apartment to find that while she and Mendel were out, it had been searched and sealed by the Gestapo. They had been targeted by a notorious Jewish informer, Jacques. After a year and a half, the couple moved to a hiding place on the outskirts of Brussels. They were assisted by Mendel’s non-Jewish friend from before the war, Oskar Ruyts. Oskar and his wife Nana were a wealthy couple who owned a dry goods store. They hid 22 Jews in their store. Oskar found a hiding place for Lea and Mendel and also hid their photographs and personal papers. Mendel earned money by trading in the black market and exchanging currency. He was arrested a few times for curfew violations but escaped. Lea went to visit Georges and was told that she needed to take him with her because he was developing a health issue. Lea sometimes kept Georges with her and Mendel, but the infant, now 15 months old, was teething and cried at night, causing the neighbors to be suspicious. Oskar Ruyts found them two additional hiding places when they had to move because of the noise. On September 3, 1944, the area was liberated by American forces. The war ended when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945.

Lea and Mendel learned that Lea’s mother Tauba, sister Shura, and brother Bernard had survived in France. When they had arrived in France in 1939, they were held in an internment camp in Lunel, where Shura met Lorenzo Teixidor (1911-1977). In 1941, Tauba, Bernard, Shura, and Lorenzo left the camp with documents from the underground. Shura and Lorenzo married and had two daughters. Mendel’s brother Henri was murdered in Auschwitz and his sister Lena and her children also perished. In June 1946, Lea and Mendel had a daughter, Myriam. In 1948, Mendel had a heart attack. On October 27, 1955, Mendel left on the SS Queen Mary, arriving in New York on November 1. On November 25, Lea and the children sailed on the SS Queen Mary, arriving in New York on November 30. The family settled in New York. Georges Americanized his name to George. Mendel, age 60, died on February 17, 1964, in New York. Lea’s mother Tauba died in 1968 in France. Lea’s sister Shura, age 88, died on December 17, 1997, in France. Lea, age 91, died on February 13, 1998, in New York.