SukritiDownward Spiral
In May 1940, when things finally started to settle down for the family, World War II hit Belgium. The Nazis took over the country and the streets that seemed so pleasing a day before were now filled with terror. Claire was just an 18-year-old when all this started and in the next two years, they saw everything worsened every day. Mass torture of the Belgian Jews was inhumane. Fear was in the air.
A Ray Of Light
In the days of darkness when Synagogues were burnt to ashes. Jews were removed from several jobs and every business firm had to put up a board mentioning if they had any Jew employees. It was mandatory for Jews to wear a yellow star band on their arm whenever in public. Claire got a ray of light in that darkness…
Found Love In A Hopeless Place
Claire was always a brave-hearted woman she denied to bend the knees in front of the Nazi empire. She was an active member of the meetings of the Communist underground. In the place where people shared similar rage against the Nazis, Claire met the charming man, named Philippe Szyper. But this was not acceptable by her family especially her father…
Rebel Love
Even after all the obstacles Claire and Philippe married in 1942. In the morning, Claire used to work as a tailor and by evening she used to take part in a completely different work to plan on how to defeat the Nazis and how to save the lives of more and more people. Little did she know she has to leave her own father in the last moments of his life.
Fighting Back
While the orders were strict for all the Jews to get straight to the police and get their names registered, Claire and Philippe never turned up. Philippe managed to get forged green passport that became his representation of being a Belgian and the fact that he was a Jew remained completely hidden. Claire and her family were immigrants and yet the danger was similar.
Fake IDs
Claire too somehow got a yellow ID card as a foreigner with the help of her contacts in the system. This card didn’t require any stamp for Jews and after finding one good opportunity, the couple went underground. They were still working in the Resistance by sharing the anti-Nazi pamphlets within the colonies. However, their nightmares were yet to turn to reality.