Elise Leekens. Collection

This trunk probably belonged to Wolf Leib Richter (Krakau, 27/09/1889), husband of Feigel Ritterman (Krakau, 02/02/1895). Wolf Leib Richter was a diamond merchant. They had two daughters, Anny (Scheveningen, 06/08/1915) and Irène (Antwerp, 11/09/1920). The couple lived in Antwerp, Van den Nestlei, 29. Before the deportation, Wolf Leib Richter and his family sometimes hid in the attic of the building where they lived. Elise Leekens, wife of Cesar Van Gaever (Antwerp, 29/07/1914 - Gent, 26/07/2006), helped them, among other things by bringing them food in this hiding place. When the family left the building, they gave the trunk full of belongings to their neighbour, Elise Leekens. Wolf Leib Richter and Feigel Ritterman were arrested during the great round-up of Belgian Jews, Aktion Iltis, on the night of 3 to 4 September 1943. Registered the same day on the deportation list of Transport XXIIB (B: Belgians) under the numbers 518 and 519, they were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where their traces are lost. They did not survive. In the meantime, Elise Leekens moved away, taking the trunk with her. After the war, the two daughters, Anny and Irène, came to collect the contents of the trunk before they left for the United States. The empty trunk was kept by Elise Leekens and then by her daughter, Christiane Van Gaever. Contact with the two Richter girls has been lost.

On 22 February 2022, Mrs. Christiane Van Gaever kindly permitted Kazerne Dossin to archive 1 item, and digitally archive 2 photos in this collection.

Christiane Van Gaever