The Hidden Children of France, 1940-1945: Stories of Survival

by Danielle Bailly (Editor), Betty Becker-Theye (Translator)

Overview

The history of France's "hidden children" and of the French citizens who saved six out of seven Jewish children and three-fourths of the Jewish adult population from deportation during the Nazi occupation is little known to American readers. In The Hidden Children of France, Danielle Bailly (a hidden child herself whose family travelled all over rural France before sending her to live with strangers who could protect her) reveals the stories behind the statistics of those who were saved by the extraordinary acts of ordinary people. Eighteen former "hidden children" describe their lives before, during, and after the war, recounting their incredible journeys and expressing their deepest gratitude to those who put themselves at risk to save others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438431963
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	07/01/2010
Series:	Excelsior Editions
Pages:	409
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Danielle Bailly is one of the surviving "hidden children." She was Professor of Linguistics at Paris Diderot University until 1998. Since then she has worked as a consultant and researcher. Betty Becker-Theye is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Humanities at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Adjunct Professor of Modern Languages at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center. She is the author of The Seducer as Mythic Figure in Richardson, Laclos, and Kierkegaard.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Foreword Pierre Vidal-Naquet xi

Introduction Danielle Bailly xix

Testimonies of Individuals from Youngest to Oldest

1 Simon Marjenberg 1

2 Charles Zelwer 19

3 Noë Kuperman 45

4 Francis Bailly 71

5 Arnold Rochfeld 95

6 Danielle Bailly 115

7 Danièle Menès 143

8 Nelly Scharapan 159

9 Éliane Séravalle 175

10 Rachel Jedinak 189

11 Daniel Krakowski 209

12 Willy Swiczka 235

13 Édith Moskovic 241

14 Nicole Eizner 257

15 Odette Kozuch 283

16 Gaby Netchine-Grynberg 307

17 Philippe Fouquey 325

18 Serge Netchine 349

Chronology 357

Glossary 363

French Acronyms 369

Notes 371

Selected Bibliography 377

Translator's 383

Biographical Notes 385

What People are Saying About This

Bob Kerrey

The Hidden Children of France documents the stolen childhoods of eighteen Holocaust survivors who are among the last witnesses of the Nazi era. During this time The New School's University in Exile brought to safety over 180 great scholars whose very lives, just like these children, were threatened by National Socialism and the evil of Hitler. It is through the stories of survivors that we preserve the truth and history of the past and educate our future generations to ensure compassion and justice for all. (Bob Kerrey, President, The New School)

Marilyn Gaddis Rose

Meticulous translation. Unlike some testimony literature where the voice recording prevails, in this collection each testimony retains an individual voice. (Marilyn Gaddis Rose, translator of Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve's Volupté: The Sensual Man)

Editorial Reviews

"…make[s] a contribution to our knowledge of the Holocaust." — AJL Reviews

"In interviews, the survivors revealed the social and psychological struggles they have had to cope with over the years. Most have pursued productive careers and raised families. Told in interview or narrative form, both ways are illuminating and made more so by Betty Becker-Theye's unusually fluent translation." — Sacramento Book Review

"The Hidden Children of France documents the stolen childhoods of eighteen Holocaust survivors who are among the last witnesses of the Nazi era. During this time The New School's University in Exile brought to safety over 180 great scholars whose very lives, just like these children, were threatened by National Socialism and the evil of Hitler. It is through the stories of survivors that we preserve the truth and history of the past and educate our future generations to ensure compassion and justice for all." — Bob Kerrey, President, The New School

"Meticulous translation. Unlike some testimony literature where the voice recording prevails, in this collection each testimony retains an individual voice." — Marilyn Gaddis Rose, translator of Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve's Volupté: The Sensual Man

From the Publisher