Les Enfants et Amis ABADI in Villiers-sur-Marne for Yom HaShoah – April 14, 2013

April 14, 2013

Les Enfants et Amis ABADI in Villiers-sur-Marne for Yom HaShoah

Mrs Abraham-Thisse is not only a municipal councillor in Villiers-sur-Marne and a general councillor of the Val-de-Marne; she is also a historian and gives lectures at the A.C.I.V.P. (Jewish Cultural Association of Villiers-sur-Marne and Le Plessis-Trévise). That Sunday, April 14, the first day of bright sunshine, she had chosen, for Yom HaShoah, to talk about hidden children – a term still generally rather obscure.

In her talk, Mrs Abraham-Thisse described the events that led to the world war, and what France looked like in 1939–1940: the country’s economic situation with rising unemployment, growing xenophobia, France’s declaration of war, its capitulation and occupation by Germany. She depicted the country cut in two by the demarcation line, the round-ups, the persecution of the Jews, the deportations and massacres, but also the Resistance – that of the groups that went underground, the role of the Church and of secular institutions

Turning to the central theme of her talk, the hidden children, she asked questions: who were these children? How were they hidden? What were the rescue networks for hidden children?

After her, I spoke about my experience as a hidden child, but as I have few memories, Jeannette Wolgust took over. With her usual verve and storytelling flair, she captivated the audience, who had come in large numbers despite the lure of a sunny day. Jeannette was thirteen at the time, and she brought to life the convent where she and three other little girls were hidden by the Marcel network. She described the Marcel network (a network that saved 527 Jewish children from deportation), Odette’s visits, and the “depersonalisation” of the children carried out by Moussa. She spoke of the disobedience of important men such as Pastors Gagnier and Evrard and Monseigneur Rémond, who made false papers and sheltered Jews in complete illegality… Her account, full of anecdotes, brought smiles despite the gravity of the subject.

Mrs Patricia Douieb, a member of the Villiers community, who was our host, then invited us to listen to the children reading, in turn, extracts from letters from “Paroles d’étoiles”.

The day ended in a warm and friendly atmosphere.                       

Andrée Poch-Karsenti