Jochem-Ebeler family. Collection

Jacob Jochem was born in Plonsk, Russia (today Poland), on 18 April 1864. In 1882 he migrated to Germany where he lived in Berlin, Cologne and Barmen. Jacob then met Gertrude Ebeler, born on 3 August 1877 in Cologne, Germany, and the couple religiously married before migrating to Belgium in 1907. Their eldest son Emiel was born in Antwerp on 13 January 1909, second son Jozef on 19 April 1912. Jacob became a watch maker and on 12 August 1921 he and Gertrude officially married at the town hall in Antwerp. However, on 18 February 1922 Gertrude passed away. Jacob Jochem then religiously married Etlia Gurowitsch, born on 11 June 1894 in Elizabethgrad, Russia (today Kropyvnytskyi in Ukraine). The couple would have two more children: daughter Rebecca was born on 15 March 1927 and youngest son Maurice on 26 September 1933. Eldest sons Emiel and Jozef Jochem provided for their father, step-mother and younger siblings. On 10 May 1940 Nazi-Germany invaded Belgium. Jacob Jochem and his family then lived at Lange Kievitstraat 91 in Antwerp. They obeyed the anti-Jewish decrees, registering in the municipal Jewish register in December 1940 and becoming members of the Association of Jews in March 1942. Jacob, Etlia, Rebecca and Maurice were arrested at the end of September 1942. All were deported from the Dossin barracks to Auschwitz-Birkenau via Transport XI and murdered. Jacobs eldest sons Emiel and Jozef Jochem survived the war.

Eduard Jochem kindly donated a photocopy of a family photo to the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance, predecessor of Kazerne Dossin, in 2010.

Eduard Jochem, 2010