Photo : © Collection particulière
Chaïm Kaliski. "Jim d’Etterbeek"
Exhibition of about a hundred ink drawings taken from a monumental illustrated work on the Occupation in Brussels, consisting of more than five thousand drawings by Chaïm-Charles Kaliski (1929-2015), a singular being whose life was forever marked by the Shoah.
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme (Paris 4th)
About
A graphic double of artist Chaïm Kaliski (1929–2015), Jim d’Etterbeek is the title of this illustrated work about the Occupation in Brussels.
The eldest of four children, Chaïm Kaliski was born in Brussels in 1929 into a Polish Jewish family. His father, Abraham, was a leather goods maker; his mother, Fradla, a seamstress. The occupation of Belgium in May 1940 changed their lives forever. After fleeing to France to escape the advancing Wehrmacht, the Kaliskis returned to the Belgian capital for lack of resources. Thus began a survival that bordered on the miraculous, as they avoided police checks, denunciations, and the great roundup of the Jewish neighborhood of Cureghem on September 3, 1942. However, Abraham was arrested on February 12, 1944. Fradla managed to place her youngest children and went into hiding with Chaïm until the Liberation in September 1944.
For Chaïm, life stopped on the day of his father's arrest, a trauma he would relive for the rest of his life.
It was at the age of sixty, in 1989, on the advice of his sister Sarah, herself a painter, that he began to draw their story, to which he would dedicate eighteen years, producing thousands of drawings.
The lines, seemingly childish at first glance, are nonetheless certain: scenes of arrests and roundups that haunted the artist, who remained a "hidden child" forever, marked by the fear and anxiety linked to the images etched on his retina.
Created primarily with India ink, these heartbreaking scenes combine text and image. They consist of "very sonorous" drawings that evoke the screams of terror, the howls, the noise of truck engines, or the clatter of weapons during the roundups, forming a whirlwind accompanied by recurring refrains, like haunting litanies.
The reader discovers a Jewish community on the brink of annihilation through the conversations between the artist's father and the acquaintances he encounters during his wanderings.
Our take on this event
Step into the haunting graphic world of Chaïm Kaliski, whose drawings offer an unfiltered perspective on his experience as a hidden child during the Occupation. Each ink-brushed scene pulses with a visceral tension, merging text and image to turn dormant memories into a powerful, rhythmic narrative. This collection is a must-see for anyone interested in the raw artistic expression of memory and resilience.
The Museum of Jewish Art and History presents Jim d’Etterbeek, an exhibition showcasing the graphic work of Chaïm Kaliski. This visual testimony captures the artist's experience as a hidden child during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. Through thousands of ink drawings created later in his life, Kaliski depicts his family’s survival and the traumatic memories that haunted him. Recommended for ages 12 and up, this exhibition runs from October 17 to December 13, 2026. Visitors can explore these poignant, dialogue-filled scenes that bridge history and personal memory at this venue in the 4th arrondissement.
From October 17 to December 13, 2026, the Museum of Jewish Art and History hosts the exhibition Jim d’Etterbeek, featuring the graphic work of Chaïm Kaliski (1929–2015). Begun in 1989, this series of thousands of ink drawings illustrates the life of a Polish-Jewish family in Brussels during the war. Having lived through the arrest of his father and years of hiding, Kaliski used his art to process the indelible trauma and fear that marked his childhood.
Each piece combines text and image to evoke the auditory landscape of the era—the shouts, the sound of trucks, and the clatter of weapons during roundups. The exhibition offers a somber look at the destruction of a community through the artist's unique perspective. It is suitable for visitors aged 12 and older. The museum is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11:00 to 18:00, Wednesday from 11:00 to 21:00, and weekends from 10:00 to 19:00.
Standard admission is 13 €, with a reduced rate of 9 € for large families and non-EU residents aged 18–25. Entry is free for those under 18, EU residents aged 18–25, and Friends of the mahJ. Please check the museum website for further free access conditions.
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