Gisela fled Berlin with her mother and her older sister Toni at the beginning of 1939. They arrived in Brussels on January 31st, where Herzel and Siegmund were already waiting for them; Felix, the youngest of the children was still being housed by the assistance committee at Wezembeek health treatment centre to the east of Brussels.
By her appearance of her photos in her police dossier, Gisela, born in 1921, was still very much a child on her arrival.
When on May 10th 1940 they were spared from the mass-scale arrests of Germans and former Austrians in Belgium, the Spira family, too, joined the exile movement and crossed clandestinely into France. Their status of holding enemy nationality ruled out any possibility of freedom and very quickly on June 3rd 1940 Gisela, her brothers and parents were interned at Bram camp in the Aude region.
They left the camp together on June 30th and were assigned to forced residence in Salleles d’Aude, where Gisela met Bertold Linder, ten years her senior, whom she married in January 1942.
On August, 26th 1942, the Spira family but Siegmund and Gisela, are rounded up in Salleles d’Aude. A short time before that, Siegmund had left the Group for foreigner workers (GTE) where he was detailed. Following his father’s order, fearing for his son to be deported to a labor camp in Germany, Siegmund leaves and joins his sister Gisela in Lamalou. Together they go to St Martin Vésubie and then, to the Borgo San Dalmazzo camp.
On December 25th Gisela gave birth to a boy; Roland. In March 1943 the group left for the Italian zone, which was reputed to be less dangerous.
During their time in the region of Vésubie from March to September 1943 Gisela’s husband neglected her. Fortunately she had the company of her sister-in-law, Rosalie, and her brother Siegmund. Roland, aged 10 months was hospitalized at Borgo with his mother from the 15th to November 21st 1943. The hospital register did not mention the cause of the hospitalization of the mother and her infant. A little later than two months after their arrival at the camp of Borgo San Dalmazzo, Gisela, her son, her brother, her husband and the rest of the group were deported to Drancy via Nice, where they were subjected to interrogations. On December 7th 1943, convoy 64 left Drancy. On December 12th 1943, thirteen days before Roland’s first birthday, unloaded from cattle wagons, Gisela and her son were gassed in Auschwitz.
By her appearance of her photos in her police dossier, Gisela, born in 1921, was still very much a child on her arrival. 