Names Not Numbers

Eric Lipetz

Antwerp, Belgium

In Hiding

1936

Eric Lipetz

Antwerp, Belgium

1936

Eric was born on October 31, 1936, in Antwerp, Belgium, where he lived with his two older brothers. His father was an engineer but also manufactured and sold bristles. Eric did not receive any formal schooling while in Europe. Around 1940, his parents first began hearing rumors about the Nazis, and sensing the worsening situation, his father bought diamonds to use as bribes in case they needed to flee.

When the Blitz began, Eric's family, along with aunts and uncles, convoyed toward Spain. In 1941, Eric's father made it to Morocco, where he obtained temporary visas for the entire family to travel to America. However, upon reaching the United States, they were turned away because the Jewish immigration quotas were filled.

The family then sailed to the Philippines, where Eric's uncle had a textile company, passing through the Panama Canal on the way.

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and in 1942, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. The Germans also began occupying the area. Eric’s father was sent to a displacement camp at St. Thomas University in Manila, where he was tasked with keeping Japanese weaponry clean in exchange for protection.

During this time, Filipino guerillas fighting against the Japanese approached him and asked for his help to sabotage the weapons, which he did for 4 ½ years.

Eric’s family endured many hardships and close escapes. In 1943, Eric's father was sent to prison in Manila but managed to escape after bribing a guard with cigarettes. Over the following months, things worsened for the family, with malnourishment and dangerous encounters.

Eric's mother once defended herself by putting a hot iron to a Japanese soldier.

As the war progressed, they began noticing more American planes and hearing bombs. By the spring of 1945, Colonel Hall, an American officer, helped the family secure visas with assistance from General MacArthur’s headquarters. In the fall of 1946, the entire family immigrated to America, settling in Queens.

At the age of 10, Eric attended school for the first time.

Later in life, Eric served in the American army, continuing his connection to the country that eventually became his home.