Amongst the hundreds of thousands of records, stored in the vault of the Ottawa Jewish Archives, is a collection of letters that preserve the story of a family’s efforts to stay in touch during the Holocaust.
The Schoepser family’s story, chronicled through a series of letters exchanged during the Second World War, offers a moving account of their attempts to stay connected despite the physical distances and the horrors of war. The five siblings — Erna, Heinrich, Marie, Gertrude, and Elsbeth — were scattered across different parts of Europe, and their correspondence reveals a common theme: the desperate attempt to stay connected. The recurring phrases, “Have you heard from...?” and “Do you know where...?” reflect the uncertainty and fear that hung over the family, as they were constantly seeking information about their loved ones’ whereabouts.
These letters, mostly sent through the Red Cross, had a strict 25-word limit and were heavily censored. They provide only glimpses of their struggles. What is now available for viewing at the Ottawa Jewish Archives is a fragment of the collection, as many of the letters were never found. Ultimately, out of the five Schoepser siblings, only three survived the war.
Erna Schoepser Essig
Erna Schoepser Essig was born on February 24, 1899. She married Kurt Essig, a Catholic, and together they lived in Herne, Westphalia, with their daughter, Christa. The war imposed harsh conditions on their family — Kurt was forced into hiding in a mineshaft for three years, which severely impacted his health. He later died from silicosis, a lung disease. Meanwhile, Erna and her daughter were sent to labor camps, which they both survived. After the war, Christa converted to Judaism and took the name Gitta. Erna passed away on February 13, 1976.
Heinrich Schoepser
Heinrich (Heini) Schoepser, born in 1900 or 1901, worked with the underground resistance in Holland, Belgium, and France. However, he was eventually captured by the Nazis. His wife, Herta, managed to join him in a prison camp in the Pyrenees. The couple was later sent to Paris and eventually Auschwitz, where they were killed. The Red Cross later confirmed that their two children perished with them in the concentration camp.
Marie Schoepser Isenberg
Marie (Mika) Schoepser Isenberg was born on December 6, 1902. In 1939, just before the outbreak of war, she received exit papers from Germany, but she was unable to leave in time. She married Adolf Isenberg in 1941, and less than a year later, the couple was deported to a concentration camp. Separated for much of the war, they were liberated by Russian forces. By sheer chance, Mika and Adolf were reunited at a rest station, both severely weakened by their ordeal. Though they survived, Adolf’s health was permanently damaged, and he passed away in 1972. Mika lived until September 2, 1985, passing away just one month after her sister Elsbeth.
Gertrude Schoepser Jaslowitzer
Gertrude (Trude) Schoepser Jaslowitzer was born on January 31, 1905. Like her sister Mika, she received exit papers in 1939 but was unable to flee before war was declared. Trude and her husband, Ernst, were deported to Auschwitz in 1943, where they both perished. Their deaths were officially recorded in 1957, with their legal date of death being December 31, 1945, as no concrete evidence of their final days was ever uncovered.
Elsbeth Schoepser Heckers
Elsbeth Schoepser Heckers, born on December 30, 1906, faced challenges both during and after the war. She married Hubert Heckers, a Catholic architect, in 1934. However, under Nazi pressure, Hubert was forced to divorce Elsbeth just two years later. In 1939, Elsbeth took her daughter Ursula to England, where they remained during the war.
After the war, in 1951, Elsbeth and Ursula immigrated to Canada. Elsbeth worked a variety of jobs, eventually settling into a role at a library until health issues, including cataracts, forced her to stop in 1960. She passed away on August 10, 1985, with her daughter by her side.
After Elsbeth’s death, her daughter Ursula compiled the remaining letters from the family, had them translated, and donated them along with family photos to the Archives where they are safely preserved and available to view via appointment.
The Schoepser family’s journey is a story of resilience, sacrifice, and loss. It reflects the strength of family ties even in the face of unimaginable hardship. Though many of their letters have been lost, the fragments that remain paint a powerful picture of their struggle to remain connected amidst the chaos of war. Through survival and tragedy, the legacy of the Schoepser family endures, a testament to the human spirit's ability to persevere.
