Michèle Merowka’s testimony at the convent of the Poor Clares
December 16, 2023
For the past few days I have been immersed in my role as “witness to the witness”! First there was the farewell Mass at the convent of the Poor Clares. Yes, this order, present in Nice for 100 years, is leaving, shutting up shop… the Poor Clare sisters of Nice are too old, there are no more young vocations! It is sad… but apparently another religious community will take over!
Wednesday, December 29, 2023
Madeleine came with me, and we met Michèle Teboul, who had drawn me into this adventure… also there were Jacques Eloit, founder of Yad Vashem Nice, Muriel Soultan, president of WIZO, and her friends Yves and Lucienne Lebitoux, as lovely as ever. A friend of Daniel Wancier was also there… but he himself had not made the trip…
At midday Maurice Niddam told me that I was representing the Consistory – so why not Yad Vashem too, especially as I mentioned it when recalling that Monseigneur Rémond and three Poor Clare sisters had been recognised as Righteous Among the Nations!
So we took part in the Poor Clares’ farewell Mass: the church was full, we were expected, and as soon as she saw us Sister Claire Élisabeth seated us near the 3 musician sisters.
Suddenly the church doors were thrown wide open and men came in, all dressed in white: 2 teenagers led the procession, followed by priests, and bringing up the rear the Bishop of Nice, Monseigneur Nault, his head covered with a golden mitre.
Everyone knew where to stand, and the ceremony began, led by the Bishop: songs, prayers and music followed one another… the congregation joined in with faith. It was very beautiful, and towards the end 4 young sisters stood up and danced to a musical theme accompanied by words in Hebrew! How moving!
Once the Mass was over, Sister Claire Élisabeth asked me to speak. I was very moved and grabbed my text, panicking at the idea of my mind going blank! And then… the words came by themselves, one after another: thanks for the invitation, the emotion of sharing this magnificent Mass; then I recalled what the Poor Clares did during the war: rescuing Jewish children, the silence after the war… I mentioned Monseigneur Rémond, but above all his attitude towards Moussa Abadi and Odette Rosenstock, who came to ask for his help in saving the children, and his decision to disobey the head of state and open all Catholic places – churches, boarding schools and schools – with the sole aim of saving persecuted Jewish children. I mentioned Andrée Poch-Karsenti, the current president of Les Enfants et Amis Abadi: her birth in Nice, how she was taken in by the Marcel network after being rescued by the neighbour, her brothers being sent to Switzerland: it was a summary of the story of a refugee family!
The words came by themselves, without any effort. And although I was in a church, after a beautiful Mass, I also recalled that the Protestants had done their part, as had secular people… I don’t know how my words were received, but it seemed only right to me to recall that other social groups had also held out a hand to persecuted Jews.
Then I spoke of the role played by the former hidden children in perpetuating the memory of those who saved their lives, and in bearing witness for those who did not survive that appalling war.
A few words of thanks to the extraordinary sister who had, quite simply, agreed to come and speak on air on Radio Chalom Nitsan, welcomed by Yossi.
I stopped and slipped away to the applause of the congregation; then several people came to talk to me, to ask questions and above all to tell me about “their war”.
The evening ended with a comforting aperitif accompanied by cakes made by those who took part in this timeless evening…
Michèle Merowka
Podcast: “Au nom des enfants” (In the name of the children) – AMEJDAM: The POOR CLARE sisters and their role in rescuing Jewish children
On RCN, Michèle Merowka welcomes Michèle Teboul and Sister Claire Élisabeth to talk about the role of the convent of the Poor Clares during the war, which, with the Marcel network, helped rescue 527 Jewish children.