Jacques Czapnik. Collection

Jacques Czapnik was born in Paris, France, on 30 July 1925, as the son of Polish tailor Chaim alias Charles Czapnik (born on 16 May 1903 in Czemierniki, Poland) and Jochweta Rozencwaig (born on 26 August 1896 in Sulejow, Poland). Jacques’ two eldest siblings were also born in France: an older sister named Simonne on 2 April 1924 in Paris and a younger brother named Louis on 5 November 1927 in Amiens. In 1928, the Czapnik-Rozencwaig family relocated from Amiens to Vilvoorde, Belgium. In November 1929, they moved to Korte van Ruusbroecstraat 27 in Antwerp, only to relocate to Rue des Coteaux 272 in Schaerbeek a few weeks later. There, on 30 March 1930, Jacques’ youngest sister Anna was born. In April 1931, Jacques, his parents and three siblings moved to Mons, where, on 30 May 1933, Jacques’ youngest brother Maurice was born. Jacques’ father Chaim provided for his family by working as an independent tailor, but the family struggled. On 10 May 1940, Nazi-Germany invaded Belgium. By that time the Czapnik-Rozencwaig family lived at Rue Notre Dame Débonnaire 3 in Mons. During the war Jacques’ family never registered in the municipal Jewish register. They stayed under the radar, thanks to which Jacques’ parents and siblings survived the war. Jacques, however, was arrested in France. It remains unclear how he ended up there. Upon his arrest, Jacques was attributed to a group of foreign forced labourers in France. As of mid-August 1942, he was held at a camp in Poitiers, from where he was transferred to the Drancy camp on 3 September 1942. Jacques was deported from Drancy to Auschwitz-Birkenau via transport 30 on 9 September 1942 and was murdered. His parents and siblings survived the war and emigrated to the United States of America in 1952.

On 8 November 1995, Mrs. Thérèse Unger kindly donated the original items in this collection to the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance, predecessor of Kazerne Dossin.

Thérèse Unger, daughter of Jacques Czapnik's sister Anna Czapnik, 1995