Sloim Copoloviciu, born 21 May 1880 in Rumania as son of Moisa and Veisla Copoloviciu, lived in Rotterdam during the early years of 1920. On 15 December 1921 he married at age 41 Sophia van Gich, a daughter of Abraham van Gich and Helena Wessel. She was 23 years of age then. The couple had two children, namely Maurits in 1922 and Helena Sera in 1927. Only their daughter survived the Holocaust.
After their marriage, Sloim and Sophia stayed in Rotterdam where their children were born. Later, the family moved to Zaandam, lived afterwards at various addresses in Amsterdam and moved 25 June 1930 to Arnoldystraat 22 in Haarlem. However, according the registration cards from the Archive of the Jewish Council, the latest address of this family was in Amsterdam at Nieuwe Herengracht 127 III, from where they have been sent on 9 February 1943 to Camp Westerbork. From details of one of those registration cards it seems that this removal from Haarlem to Amsterdam might have taken place somewhere mid 1942.
The Copoloviciu family stayed at Camp Westerbork in barack 63 from 9 February 1943 to 5 April 1944. At that date the complete family was deported “Eastwards”, whereby Sloim Copoloviciu eventually arrived in Buchenwald, where he lost his life on 24 February 1945.
Sophia Copoloviciu-van Gigh arrived at Bergen Belsen, where she lost her life on 31 March 1945.
From details of his registration card of Maurits Copoloviciu from the Archives of Jewish Council it is known that he has had an education (school) at MULO-level, that he had a job as office clerk (accountancy) and after the removal of the family from Haarlem to Amsterdam he worked as houseboy at the Old Peoples Rest Home “v.d.Byl”, which was located too at the same address Nieuwe Herengracht 127 in Amsterdam. Maurits was deported too on 5 April 1944 and arrived as forced laborer in the “Extern Kommando Zeitz”, where he lost his life in 1945. This Kommando was one of the many satelite camps of Buchenwald and was located about 40 km south from Leipzig. The history 1933-1945 of this little town Zeitz is findable on internet https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitz and tells among others that in 1937/1938 a plant has been built for production of artificial fuels made out of lignite and which has been bombed in 1945 various times. Prisoners were not permitted to hide in shelters during bombardments as sheltering was only allowed for civilians and guards. Because of this prohibition there were many casualties among the population of prisoners during those bombardments. On 10 April 1945 there was this heavy attack on the depot of Zeitz, and during this bombardment tank wagons with chlorine gas exploded. Presumably. Presumably, as a result of this bombardment, Maurits Copoloviciu died as his death was registered on 12 April 1945.
Helena Sera is the only family member who survived the Shoah. She too was deported on 5 April 1944 from Camp Westerbork “Eastwards” but it is not known where she was sent to. But eventually she returned to Holland in 1945.
Sources: City Archive of Amsteram, family registration card of Sloim Copoloviciu and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of “Shoim Copolovincim”, “Sophia Copolovicin-v.Gigh”, “Maurits Copolovici” and “Helena Copolovici”
For the history of Zeitz, see https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitz