Around thirty Stolpersteine can be found in the sidewalks across Ghent. The square brass stones serve as a lasting reminder of the hometown of a victim of National Socialism during World War II. On November 5th, three more were added for Ghent University victims Valère, Falks, and Rifca. Alec Vuijlsteke, current chair of the alumni association of Ghent University History Students (OSGG), has researched their life stories.
In short
- On November 5th, three Ghent University members received a Stolperstein in Sportstraat, Krijgslaan, and Visserij.
- Stolpersteine can be found throughout Europe. They commemorate victims of National Socialism during World War II.
- History alumnus Alec Vuijsteke researched the lives and deaths of the three Ghent University members.
Why are these Stolpersteine so important?
"Together, they form the largest public monument in Europe: there are now more than 100,000 of them in 31 countries. They often bring very ordinary people back into focus: victims of Nazism and fascism during World War II who, without such a stone, might have been long forgotten."
German artist Gunter Demnig started the project in the 1990s. In the streets of Cologne and subsequently throughout Germany, he began laying stones in front of the houses where murdered resistance fighters and Jewish citizens lived, but also Roma and Sinti, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, people with disabilities… Each stone represents a life, not just its end.
"The Stolpersteine have always fascinated me because I enjoy street photography. But especially because several people in my own family were deported and unfortunately never returned."
How did you get involved in the project for Ghent University members?
"In 2024, I helped launch a neighborhood initiative commemorating resistance heroes in Ghent's Miljoenenkwartier. When Ghent University awarded Gunter Demnig an honorary doctorate this spring, I was asked to suggest some new memorial stones. During my research, I learned that at least 31 active Ghent University academics, students, and staff members did not survive the war due to persecution. It wasn't easy to select three. Ultimately, I believe they all deserve such a memorial stone."
Alec Vuijlsteke: "The Stolpersteine often bring very ordinary people back into focus: victims of Nazism and fascism during the Second World War who, without such a stone, might have been long forgotten."
Let's take a look at the lives of the three UGent'ers who received a Stolperstein. What's the story of Rifca Schor?
"Rifca and her family came to Ghent due to growing antisemitism in their native Romania. Our university held a strong appeal for Jewish people from Eastern Europe. Rifca graduated as a doctor of medicine in 1926. Certainly not a given for a woman in those days."
"After the German occupation, Rifca's brother and his family went into hiding. However, Rifca and her sister thought the persecution of the Jews wouldn't get that bad. That is, until the Germans were at their house on January 11, 1943. Rifca and her very young children were deported to Auschwitz via the Dossin Barracks. They were presumably sent straight to the gas chambers. The transport contained more than 600 people, of whom only seven survived."
And who was Valère Billiet, who lived at the Visserij?
"He is the best-known of the three: an enormously promising scientist who pioneered the fields of X-rays and geology. He even has a mineral named after him: billietite. An auditorium on Campus Sterre and a prize for the best master's thesis in geology also bear his name."
"During the occupation, Billiet joined the Independence Front, a resistance movement driven by communists. Billiet, under the alias "Max," gathered intelligence, distributed clandestine press, and carried out sabotage. He took risks—perhaps too many—and was caught red-handed just before the liberation of Ghent. He died in northern Germany on a ship full of political prisoners that was bombed by the Allies."
Were many Ghent University members involved in the resistance?
"According to historical research, there were around 130 of them, representing about 3 percent of the university community. There were also, of course, collaborators. The resistance actions varied widely. The university leadership primarily opted for a policy of the 'lesser evil,' which tended to meekly carry out the German occupiers' demands. For example, the rector passed on a list of names of Jewish students and staff to the Germans without protest."
There is also a Stolperstein for an assistent?
"Yes, for Falks Epsteins from Latvia. He lived on Sportstraat for a while and studied natural sciences. As a Jew, that had become very difficult in his home country. Epsteins married the bright Flemish student Nora Pieruccini and obtained his doctorate in 1940. But he couldn't stay at our university because of the anti-Jewish measures."
"He and Nora made the tragic decision to return to his homeland. They traveled by train straight through Nazi Germany. Shortly afterward, Latvia was also overrun. Nora was forced to divorce her husband, and Falks was imprisoned in the Riga ghetto. We don't know exactly what happened next. Epstein presumably died in a mass execution in the Latvian forests or in a concentration camp."
Was it difficult to reconstruct the stories of these three UGent'ers?
"Not really. Ghent University alumna Iñez Demarrez wrote a compelling book about Epstein and his wife Nora, and I also found a wealth of information from the families who were left behind in the rich university archives, and in the archives of the Kazerne Dossin Memorial. But gaps remain. Unfortunately, for example, I didn't find any photos of Marcel and Claudine, Rifca Schor's children. They would have made the story even more tangible."
It's been 80 years now. Does it still make sense to place these stones?
"Remembrance only makes sense if you also reflect. In that respect, I believe it's five to twelve. The last people who consciously experienced the war are gradually disappearing from our lives. These Stolpersteine must therefore take on their warning role, at a time when our democratic values are sometimes under renewed pressure. What can happen if democracy collapses and people are excluded?"
Why was November 5th chosen as the date for placing the new stumbling stones?
"That's no coincidence. On that day in 1940, several regulations were published banning Jews from public life in Belgium. In the entire history of our university, that's the only time people were denied the right to university education solely on the basis of their origins."
Alec Vuijlsteke: "The last people who consciously experienced the war are gradually disappearing from our lives. These Stolpersteine must therefore take up their warning role, at a time when our democratic values are sometimes again under pressure."
What do you hope happens after November 5?
"My wish is for the names of all 31 Ghent University victims to become enshrined in university life. The Valère Billiet Prize in geology already exists; now we want to ask other alumni associations to follow suit within their ranks. I also hope that more stones will be added to the streets, so we can continue to stumble over the stories. Not with our feet, but with our hearts."
Stolpersteine, the life project of honorary doctor Gunter Demnig
In March 2025, German artist Gunter Demnig received an honorary doctorate from Ghent University. He has an extensive track record as an artistic activist, but perhaps his best-known work are his Stolpersteine, each uniquely created stumbling stones. Scattered along sidewalks across Europe, they encourage passersby to reflect on the personal stories of victims of National Socialism.
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