Oberman-Dupont family. Collection

Liliane Oberman was born in Etterbeek, Brussels, on 10 March 1941. Her father, Zelman Simon Oberman, his parents and sisters had fled Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in 1919 because of pogroms. After reuniting in France, some family members moved to Belgium where Zelman Simon Oberman met Belgian catholic Maria Dupont at a carnival. They married on 7 January 1939 and settled in Sint-Joost-ten-Node/Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels. In May 1940, Zelman Simon Oberman and Maria Dupont tried to flee Belgium, but they had to turn back at De Panne. The couple returned to Brussels, where Liliane, who remained an only child, was born in May 1941. From July until November 1941 Zelman Simon Oberman was incarcerated at the Breendonk fortress, camp for political prisoners, after having been betrayed by a competitor in the diamond business. After his release, he had to report to the Sicherheitspolizei-Sicherheitsdienst (Sipo-SD) weekly, but he stopped going when Jews who did go never returned. In 1943, Zelman Simon Oberman was arrested by the Sipo-SD again, but his wife, Maria Dupont, went to their office at Avenue Louise and returned home with her husband. Zelman Simon Oberman, his wife and daughter were subsequently hidden by friends in Limburg. Zelman Simon Oberman took on the false identity of Paul Joseph Vandenbroek. His sister and his mother, who lived in France during the war, took on the false name Martin. Ephraim Frans Oberman, paternal grandfather of the donor, was also hidden in Belgium. When visiting his granddaughter Liliane in October 1942, he decided to go out for a walk and he was arrested. He did not survive deportation via transport XIII from the Dossin barracks. The other family members in Belgium survived the war. After Liberation, at the end of 1944, Liliane Oberman and her mother were among the first to visit the former Breendonk camp. Pictures of their visit were published in the Belgian press. Liliane Oberman went on to become a teacher. She is also a member of L'Enfant Caché, the Belgian association of hidden children and has played an active role during commemorations at Kazerne Dossin.

The documents in this collection were collected by the donor and stored at her apartment until she donated all items to Kazerne Dossin in 2012. Included are several objects. Ephraim Frans Oberman, paternal grandfather of the donor, left the cane at home in October 1942 when taking a stroll, during which he was arrested and subsequently deported. The bullet was found by Zelman Simon Oberman in a bed in which he slept in De Panne during his flight in May 1940.

Liliane Oberman, 2012