In January, Kazerne Dossin’s research team received an extraordinary collection. Although it consists of only two documents, its historical value is immense. Based on these documents—a letter and a record of a sales transaction—our researchers were able to reconstruct part of the story of the Jessurun Lobo family.
The documents shed light on a lesser-known aspect of the persecution. Many Jewish families not only feared for their freedom and lives but were also forced to relinquish their property while seeking safety, whether abroad or elsewhere. They had to find ways to secure their possessions. The Jessurun Lobo family rented a house from Raymond Van Looy between 1940 and 1941.
A letter from Marcus Jessurun (M.J.) Lobo reveals how they tried to manage their affairs. Written on December 14, 1940, the letter was addressed to his son’s landlord, Ben Max (B.M.) Lobo. B.M. had been renting an apartment from Raymond Van Looy in Antwerp since 1939. However, in 1940, he fled Belgium with his wife and no longer lived in the apartment. B.M. managed to escape to Spain and later relocated to Scotland, where he survived the war.
Because M.J. lived in the Netherlands, he could not simply travel to Antwerp to handle matters in person. A travel ban for Jews in the Netherlands made this impossible. Letters, therefore, became a crucial means of communication for settling practical affairs. Thanks to the mediation of another family member living in Antwerp, the necessary arrangements were made: outstanding payments were settled, and the furniture was repurposed.
A sales transaction from 1941 documents how Raymond Van Looy purchased the bedroom furniture from the apartment for 5,000 Belgian francs. 82 years later, relatives of Raymond Van Looy still own the furniture.
During this period, it was not uncommon for landlords to buy their tenants’ furniture. In many cases, such transactions led to exploitation. However, in this particular instance, it is clear that both parties reached a fair agreement.
