Lajzerowicz-Goldstein family. Collection

Israel Szaja Lajzerowicz was born in Rozprza, Poland, on 9 February 1898 as the son of Manil Lajzerowicz and Sura Kadzidlo. Israel became a leather worker and emigrated to Belgium in November 1920. He settled at Rue Jean Robie 24 in Saint-Gilles. In the years that followed, he changed addresses multiple times, but he always stayed within the Brussels region. On 10 November 1925, he married Selda Souritz who had been born in Dvinsk, Russian empire (today Daugavpils, Latvia), on 14 March 1901, and who had arrived in Belgium with her parents at the age of four in 1905. After their wedding, Israel and Selda settled at Rue Stéphanie 35 in Brussels, but they moved to Antwerp in the late 1920s. Their eldest daughter Malka was born in the port city on 1 December 1927. In 1929, the Lajzerowicz-Souritz family moved to Kroonstraat 137 in Borgerhout. By that time, Israel earned a living as shoe maker. On 14 August 1931, a second daughter named Cecilia was born. Sadly, on 19 March 1936 Selda Souritz passed away in Antwerp. After her death, Israel and his two daughters moved to Kroonstraat 109. Israel then religiously married his second wife Chaja Goldstein, who had been born at Petrova Bistra on 28 October 1905. Together, Israel and Chaja had a third child: a daughter named Rachel who was born on 9 August 1938 in Antwerp. When Nazi-Germany invaded Belgium on 10 May 1940, the Lajzerowicz-Goldstein family still lived at Kroonstraat 109 in Borgerhout. Israel and Chaja were forced to obey the growing number of anti-Jewish decrees. They registered in the municipal Jewish register at the end of 1940, became members of the Association of Jews in Belgium in Spring 1942, and, as of June 1942, Israel, Chaja and their two eldest daughters wore the yellow star of David. However, they had also reason to celebrate: on 10 January 1942 Israel and Chaja officially married at the Borgerhout municipality. In Summer 1942, Israel and Chaja placed their youngest daughter Rachel with non-Jewish friends of theirs. During Rachel’s absence, Israel, Chaja and their eldest daughters Malka and Cecilia were arrested. They were taken to the SS-Sammellager Mecheln (Dossin barracks) on 8 October 1942 and were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau via transport XIII on 10 October 1942. All were murdered. Youngest daughter Rachel Lajzerowicz was transferred by her parents’ friends to another family who was willing to keep her permanently. After this family’s home was bombed during an air raid in April 1943, Rachel was picked up by Jean-Paul Goyens, an acquaintance of Rachel’s father. Jean-Paul brought the girl to his parents Henricus and Hendrika Goyens-Paredis in Lanaken, where she was presented to relatives and friends as Irène Lefèvre, a war orphan whose parents had been killed during a bombardment. Rachel survived the war in Lanaken and was subsequently adopted by the Goyens family. In 1960, Rachel emigrated to Israel. Her rescuers Henricus and Hendrika Goyens-Paredis and their son Jean-Paul Goyens received the title of Righteous amongst the Nations in 1999.

On 18 August 1998, Jean-Paul Goyens kindly donated reproductions of two photos from his archive to the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance, predecessor of Kazerne Dossin. Jean-Paul Goyens was the rescuer of Israel Lajzerowicz's youngest daughter Rachel Lajzerowicz. He passed away on 23 November 2000.

Jean-Paul Goyens, 1998