Kiwa Lifschitz, born 6 February 1908 in Schatzk in Russia, arrived from Hamburg in Rotterdam in 1934 and lived there at De Vliegerstraat 52b. After one month he moved to Heemraadssingel 322b and in October 1934 to Teilingerstraat 73b. On 5 February he moved in with the Lichtenholz family at Witte de Withstraat 57b, from where he got married 3 October 1939 with Milly Lichtenholz, born in London as daughter of Salomon Josel Lichtenholz and Sara Hegett. As his profession he indicated to be director of the N.V. Vischmeel in Rotterdam.
As a resident of Rotterdam, Kiwa Lifschitz disappeared during the war with an unknown destination, most likely with his wife Milly Lichtenholz and the Manuel Chasler family in Yerevan in Armenia. Kiwa’s wife was there too, presumably Kiwa himself too and most probably Kiwa has suffered the same kind of fate as Manuel Chasler, as he was not seen after July 1941 and his arrest there by the N.K.V.D.
In a letter dated 11 August 1945 from the British Embassy in Moscou to the daughter of Manuel Chasler in London, is a succinct statement of the testimony of Milly Lifschitz, who survived the camps in Siberia. It shows that she, and probably also her husband Kiwa Lifschitz, were together with the family of Manuel Chasler and his wife Bellina Davidoff when they were arrested in Rotterdam after the first day of the German invasion in Russia that started on 22 June 1941. After having stayed eight days in a camp in Holland, they then were transferred to Berlin where they stayed for one day and the next day they were sent via Istanbul to the Soviet Union.
When they arrived 27 July 1941 in Leninakan (Armenia) they were arrested by the N.K.V.D. Milly Lifschitz stated that all men were separated from women and children and for some time they did not know what happened to the husbands. She believed, her husband was brought to court, convicted and sent to a camp in the north. It is certain that Manuel Chasler was last seen on 29 July 1941 in Yerevan (the capital of Soviet Armenia) where he was arrested again by the N.K.V.D. Since then he has never been seen.
Milly Lifschitz-Lichtenholz and Bellina Chasler-Davidoff were sent to Siberia in December 1941 in the company of other women and children. Bellina Davidoff died there in a hospital and Milly Lifschitz has buried her there. After her return from the camps in Siberia, she witnessed her fate in the British Consulate in Stockholm. At some point, she was repatriated to London.
In October 1953, Milly Lifschitz, living in Johannesburg in South Africa, requested her husband Kiwa Lifschitz, "recently living in Rotterdam", to summon by a writ of a bailiff to appear before the District Court in Rotterdam on January 25, 1954. "to hear by means of this writ that there is a presumption of death since August 1941".
Because he did not appear at the time, Kiwa Lifschitz was summoned again at the request of Milly Lifschitz from Johannesburg on 25 June 1954, who had recently lived in Rotterdam, now without a known place of residence, by means of a new writ of bailiff, on 14 June 1954. to appear before the District Court in Rotterdam where the presumption of the death of Kiwa Lifschitz since August 1941 has been pronounced.
On the basis of the above, it seems likely that Kiwa Lifschitz has suffered a more or less same fate as Manuel Chasler, who was not seen after his arrest by the N.K.V.D. in July 1941.
Meanwhile, Milly Lifschitz in South Africa has once again been married to a Mr. Buchanan. Milly arrived on 19 April 1954 with PANAM flight PA 151 from Johannesburg in New York but there is nothing known about her and her second husband furthermore.
Sources among others: City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration cards of Kiwa Lifschitz and of Salomon Josel Lichtenholz regarding the wedding of Milly Lichtenholz; Civil Registry of Pancras in London , birth registration of Milly Lichtenholz; Register of immigration of New York City regarding the arrival of Milly Lipschitz; website wiewaswie.nl; Central Bureau of Genealogy (CBG) in Den Haag; website Delpher.nl; Mr. Jos Maissan from Rotterdam and Mr. Melville Goldbaum from London.