Letter

Held by

Montreal Holocaust Museum via Canadian Jewish Heritage Network (incl. Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives)

Dates

September 25, 1947 (indexed as 1947)

Level

item

Extent

Letter : Paper : Printed' Typed : Ink : Beige, Black, Purple ; Ht: 9 1/2 in. x W: 7 7/8 in.

Scope & content

1 page, single-sided. Folded once vertically and three times horizontally. Letter sent to Elizabeth Allen in Halifax, Nova Scotia from the Department of Mines and Resources, states that if the people are of good character and have all the necessary documents and pass medical examination they obtain visas to enter Canada. Narrative: Tuwja (Tuwyas, Tuwia, Tuvia, Tobias) Bercowicz (Berkowicz) was the father of the donor, Jack (Jacques) Berkowicz. Born in Vilna, Tuwyas immigrated to Belgium in 1933 and when Belgium fell to Nazi Germany in 1940, he fled to France, hoping to reach Morocco by boat from Marseilles. The donor's mother, Chana (Chane, Annie) (Trompeter) Berkowicz, born in Mielec, Poland, was living in Vienna, Austria with her parents and two sisters. In 1938, after the German annexation of Austria, the family fled, driving to France via Belgium. Tuwyas and Chana met in Lyon, France in 1941 and married. Their daughter Dorothée was born in 1942. The family attempted to flee France by boat in Marseilles, but were stopped by Vichy police. They fled Marseilles and went south, into the Pyrenees region, living in various small vilages. Their son Jack was born in Bernac-Dessus in 1944. The family survived the war and returned to Brussels from 1945-1948, and then immigrated to Canada with the help of the American Joint Distribution Committee. They were sponsored by Tuwyas' sister Luba, who was already living in Halifax. The Berkowicz family settled in Montreal.

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Genre / form

textual record

Format

Document

In the picture

DocumentGovernmentGovernment BuildingImmigrantImmigrationLetterLetterheadPostmarkSealSignatureStampTypewrittenTagged automatically by a vision model; may contain mistakes.

Text in the image

DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTATLANTIC DISTRICTNo. B.21381IMMIGRATION BRANCHCANADADEPARTMENTOFMINES AND RESOURCESOttawa, September 25th, 1947.District Superintendent.Mrs. Elizabeth Allen,Halifax, N.S.CANADIAN IMMIGRATION1 MAR 1948BRUSSELS - BELGIUMIN YOUR REPLY REFER TODear Madam:With reference to your application for the admission to Canada of your brother, Tuwyas Berkowicz, his wife, Chana, and two children, Doris and Albert Berkowicz,presently residing at 52 Rue S'Ecosse, Brussels, Belgium,this is to advise that the settlement arrangements for the reception of the above named are considered satisfactory and it will be in order for them to make application in person to the Canadian Visa Officer at c/o Canadian Embassy, 34 Avenue des Arts, Brussels, Belgium.Provided the proposed immigrants are of good character, in possession of travel documents, can pass medical examination and otherwise comply with our requirements, visa for Canada will be granted.This letter should be sent to the above named for presentation to the Canadian Visa Officer indicated for the purpose of identification.The necessary advice is going forward to the Visa Officer overseas by surface mail which takes from three to four weeks to arrive and the proposed immigrant should therefore refrain from getting in touch with said officer until sufficient time has elapsed for our advice to reach him.Yours very truly,1270 Windsor St.,Read automatically; may contain mistakes.

Language

English

Harvested

2026-10-19T03:21:16Z · source datestamp n/a · andornot

Digital objects at the source

• imageOpen original at source ↗2005_1_24.jpg