Gustaaf Wortsman

Schamroth Rapeport N. Paper Trail of the Antwerp Families Brodheim, Schamroth, Taub 1886 -1956. 2017. Police file number 210179. He was born on the 31st January 1913 in Krakow Poland. He came to Antwerp in September 1923 and was registered as a Polish national. He resided at various addresses – Berchem, Pretoriastraat 108 from the 3rd September 1923 until the 4th October 1929; Antwerp, Magdalenastraat 43 from the 24th October 1929 to the 19th December 1939. Berchem, Velodroomstraat 22 from the 19th December 1939 to the 22nd January 1941. He married Lea Schnabel on the 7th January 1941 in Antwerp. He was registered as a makelaar in diamant, son of Isaac Jonas Wortsman deceased (1917) and Sali Schamroth living in Berchem. His wife, Lea Schnabel was born on the 5th August 1913 in Antwerp, and was the daughter of Dawid Joel Schnabel, diamand merchant and Paulina Szcygielski deceased (1881-1935). The Wortsman’s marriage was also recorded in a book which lists the Jewish weddings in Antwerp of Krakow Jews. This book stated that their marriage date was the 1st December 1941, corresponding to the 13 Tevet 5701.8 Police documents taken following his marriage, on the 24th January 1941, stated that Gustaaf was in possession of identity card number 86569 issued in Antwerp on the 16th November 1939 which was valid until the 16th November 1941. His wife, Lea Schnabel was listed as a Belgium national. His mother Schamroth Sali was resident in Berchem (a) Velodroomstraat no. 22. Gustaaf was inscribed in the Jodenregister te Berchem (Jewish register in Berchem) number 13249. His address was Emiel Banningstraat no. 47, the home of his father-in-law. This document had his finger print. The Antwerp Local Authorities - extract of the register van Belgverklaring en Inburgering of 1941, dated the 27th January 1941, confirmed the details of Lea Schnabel and confirmed that she was living at Emiel Banningstraat 47. The document Bericht Van Vertrek van Een Vreemdeling dated the 4th March 1942 and signed by the Mayor, confirmed the Polish National, regarding information of the 7th February 1941 of police dossier number 210179, written in the population register at Emiel Banning str 47, his IK number 86569 of Antwerp valid to the 16th November 1941 was Wortsman Gustaaf . Lea Schnabel’s family police dossier number was 114108. Her family’s file stated that there were 7 children. Four older children were born in Antwerp and the three younger children were born in Gravenhage (The Hague) Holland. Their names were Bertha Anna (1907), Mendel Simon (1908), Jacob (1909), Clara (1912) Gusta (1917) Israel (1918) and Frida (1922). The family document did not contain the name of a daughter Lea, but that of Clara born on the 13th June 1912. It suggests that Lea Schnabel changed her name from Clara to Lea. Her family had lived in Antwerp from 1905 until August 1914. During WW I they left Antwerp. They stayed in Scheveningen Holland until January 1923. During WW II her brother Israel was deported and died in Auschwitz in the month of October 1944. In May 1940, her father, Dawid Joel Schnabel, fled from Belgium to France. He was caught and brought back to Antwerp. On the 5th February 1941 he again fled to France. He went to Marseille and stayed there until May 1941. He managed to sail to the French island of Martinique, Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea and from there sailed to New York. He stayed in New York from the 2nd February 1942 until the 18th June 1946. He returned to Antwerp on the 29th June 1946. He was in possession of an IK. valid to the 2nd July 1948. His document stated that he had lived at Emil Banningstraaat 47 on the first floor and that he was a diamant koopman (merchant). His son-in-law Gustaaf Wortsman and his daughter Lea managed to leave Europe and landed in Havana, Cuba.5 During the War Gustaaf worked in Havana where he polished diamonds. The Wortsman’s daughter Pauline was born in Cuba. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Paulina Szcygielski. The family subsequently went to the USA and lived in New York. They went to Israel in the nineteen seventies. Gustaaf died in July 1978.9 His wife Lea died in March 1997.