Antisemitic Sign

Rectangular sign on cardstock with punched holes at the top corners as if it should be hung. Text at the top reads “Commune de Herstal.” Below it, on three separate lines, reads “Jüdisches unternehmen;" "Joodsche onderneming;” and “Entreprise juive.” This translates to “Jewish enterprise.”

Sign hung in the Szpicak family store.

The Nazis occupied Belgium early in the Second World War. In cooperation with the Nazis, Belgian officials made Jewish businesses display signs like this one. It reads "Jewish Enterprise" in the three official languages of Belgium: German, Dutch and French. The Szpicak family was ordered to post this sign in the window of their store to show it was a Jewish business. Within a few months, the family was forced to give up their shop. They went into hiding to avoid deportation to Nazi camps.

Donated to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre by Charles Spica and Arnold Szpicak. 2008.009.001

Antisemitic Sign

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