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Letter
Montreal Holocaust Museum · small copy hosted here (www.cjhn.ca blocks its images elsewhere)
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Letter

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Held by
Montreal Holocaust Museum via Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (incl. Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives)
Dates
1939-January 05, 1945 (indexed as 1939–1945)
Level
item
Scope & content
Page creased twice horizontally, two holes punched on left edge, Department of Labour National Selective Service Mobilization Section letterhead. From the Department of Labour to Isaac Herbert Isselbaecher regarding his military training. Narrative: Isaac Herbert Isselbacher was born 1919-11-20 in Isselbach, Germany. His brother was Helmut Isselbacher, born 1921-12-20. Their father was Jacob Isselbacher, born 1883-08-05. They had an uncle and aunt, David and Betty Loewenstein, who lived in New York City with their two children. Isaac left Germany on 1939-07-29, hoping to join his relatives in NYC. He only had the time to get to London, England before the war broke out and started working in a factory. He was arrested at his workplace as an ‘enemy alien’ and sent to Canada for internment in 1940. Isaac was interned in Camp N in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He was drafted into the Works Program Division for woodworking and net-making. In 1940, he received a last letter from his parents which suggested their imminent deportation. After his release, circa November 1942, Isaac worked as a locksmith. He married Fanny Azeff on 1943-12-26 at the Bnai Jacob synagogue in Montreal. Fanny was born on 1921-12-23 in Canada, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Azeff. Isaac was naturalized as a Canadian citizen on 1946-06-08. Fanny was naturalized on 1946-08-30 (she had lost her citizenship by marrying Isaac). Isaac’s brother, Helmut Isselbacher, was deported with Transport XXII A from Dossin casern in Mechelen (Malines), Belgium to Auschwitz Birkenau, Poland on 1943-09-20. Of the 2,450 people on the transport, 100 men were selected to work –including Helmut- and the remainder prisoners were gassed. Helmut was made to work as a welder, and was soon fitting new pipes for the gas chamber. He suffered a nervous breakdown as a result. As he was a valued welder, he was transferred to a labour camp in Upper Silesia (Poland) where he remained for two years. As the Russian army advanced, the 6,000 prisoners of this camp were evacuated by train. Helmut remembered being forced to march as the other prisoners died from exhaustion. When liberation was announced, the survivors travelled by ship from Luebeck, Germany, to Sweden with the aid of the Red Cross. After recovery, Helmut decided to remain in Sweden as a welder. Upon learning of his brother’s survival, Helmut travelled to New York in April 1946 to meet with him and their Loewenstein relatives. Afterwards, Helmut travelled to Canada bringing with him a washing machine and bras as late wedding presents for his brother and Fanny. By 1946-08-12, their parents were presumed dead and the two sons inquired into their estate. They received a deed for the land and travelled to the estate to discover that the current owner of their house was their old maid and her son had become the town mayor. Various disputes arose with the current ‘owners’ who believed the Isselbacher family dead. Isaac wished to discuss a settlement, but the mayor’s mother –not realizing Fanny understood German- called the neighbours at work to warn them not to come home as the Isselbacher sons had resurfaced. Payment for the land had reportedly been sent to Israel, though no documentation could be provided.
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DocumentGovernmentLetterLetterheadMilitarySealSignatureTypewrittenTagged automatically by a vision model; may contain mistakes.
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Extent
Letter : Paper : Typewritten : Ink : Beige, black, red ; Ht: 27 cm x W: 22 cm
Genre / form
textual record
Format
Document
Text in the image
MINISTÈRE DU TRAVAILDEPARTMENT OF LABOURDIVISION "E"SERVICE SÉLECTIF NATIONAL, DIVISION DE LA MOBILISATIONNATIONAL SELECTIVE SERVICE, MOBILIZATION SECTIONSuite 405, Transportation Building.MONTREAL, January 5th, 1945.Mr. Isaac Herbert Isselbaecher,4557 Clark St.,Montreal 14, Que.RE: E- 104808 ISSELBAECHER Isaac HerbertIt is most important that you follow all the instruc-Yours very truly,Registrar.S.V.P. RÉPONDRE: A/S GERARD BLEAUPLEASE REPLY: C/OP.S. Dans votre réponse, il est très im-portant de mentionner le numéro d'ordre d'appel précité.It is very important that you quote the above order of call serial number in replying.Suite 406, Transportation Building,Mr. Isac Herbert Isselbacher,4657 Clark St.,RE: E- 104808 ISSELBACHER Isac HerbertCANADADear Sir:Please be informed that the certificate (pink form)no E-25665 which has been sent to you on December 17th, 1943,is now cancelled and must be returned to this office withinthree (3) days.tions you will receive shortly regarding your military training.D.B. 113ERead automatically; may contain mistakes.
Language
English
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2026-10-19T03:21:16Z · source datestamp n/a · andornot

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