Overview

As an infant in Antwerp, Jacques Weisser entered the world at a moment of acute danger for Belgian Jews. When his mother was arrested and deported to Auschwitz in 1942, Jacques was left without a parent to protect him. Classified under a temporary Nazi edict sparing children under five, he was moved between an orphanage, hospital and secret hiding place in the Ardennes, surviving only through the intervention of resistance networks and the extraordinary courage of Catholic caregivers. He spent much of the war malnourished, ill and unaware of his family’s fate. After liberation, Jacques was eventually located by relatives and raised in Belgium before later living in England, Southern Rhodesia and Israel. As an adult, he devoted himself to Holocaust remembrance and education, rediscovering his early history through archival research and reconnecting with other hidden children. Jacques’s book is part of the My Voice book collection, a stand-alone project of The Fed, the leading Jewish social care charity in Manchester, dedicated to preserving the life stories of Holocaust survivors and refugees from Nazi persecution who settled in the UK. The oral history, which is recorded and transcribed, captures their entire lives from before, during and after the war years. The books are written in the words of the survivor so that future generations can always hear their voice. The My Voice book collection is a valuable resource for Holocaust awareness and education. -- .

Full Product Details

Publisher:   Manchester University Press
Imprint:   Manchester University Press
ISBN:  

9781807073138

ISBN 10:   1807073130
Pages:   174
Publication Date:   31 March 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

My father’s family tree My mother’s family tree 1 Born during the war and hidden 2 My father’s horrific war story 3 Hidden in Belgium 4 Found by my aunt and uncle 5 Getting ill with polio 6 A different life in England 7 Moving to Southern Rhodesia 8 The wandering Jew 9 Learning the hotel trade 10 Back to my Belgian roots 11 Clearing up dead chickens 12 Meeting the love of my life 13 The proposal that never was 14 Bringing Judy into the family 15 Settling down into married life 16 A Jewish way of life in London 17 Finding the photo of my mother 18 The beginning of my family legacy 19 Hearing my mother’s name at Auschwitz 20 My father’s testimony 21 Meeting Bill and the other hidden children 22 Why I work in Holocaust education 23 A pilgrimage to Auschwitz 24 My message as a Jew and a survivor Glossary My Voice volunteers About The Fed -- .

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Author Information

The Fed is Manchester's leading social care charity serving the Jewish community. In June of 2021, The Fed were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for the My Voice Project, the highest possible accolade for a voluntary sector group. -- .

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