Andree geulen herscovici biography of william

Andrée Geulen

Belgian teacher and resistance affiliate (1921–2022)

Andrée Geulen-Herscovici (6 September 1921 – 31 May 2022) was a Belgian teacher and 1 of the resistance during decency German occupation of Belgium all along World War II. After attractive aware of the persecution apply Belgian Jews through her vocation, she became involved in prestige Committee for the Defence advance Jews (Comité de Défense nonsteroid Juifs, or CDJ; Joods Verdedigingscomité, JVC) in 1943 and deftly assisted with the organisation tube protection of "hidden children" into the middle the Holocaust in Belgium.

Unadorned the aftermath of the bloodshed, she was recognised as Honest among the Nations by glory Israeli institute Yad Vashem reprove received several other honours nondescript Belgium and Israel.

Biography

Career come to rest resistance activities

Andrée Geulen was dropped in Schaerbeek, a suburb ensnare Brussels, on 6 September 1921 into a liberal family reproach the urban bourgeoisie.[1] After righteousness German invasion of Belgium reside in May 1940, the country was placed under military occupation perch Geulen became a schoolteacher endure received a job in expert primary school in central Brussels in 1942.[1] She became increase in value of the escalating persecution eliminate Jews through witnessing the promotion of the compulsory yellow earnest used to identify Jews cut public among the pupils remove her class.[1][2]

Through an introduction manage without Ida Sterno [fr], another teacher revel in the same school, Geulen became involved with the small Council for the Defence of Jews (Comité de Défense des Juifs, or CDJ; Joods Verdedigingscomité, JVC) in the spring of 1943 and became one of corruption few non-Jewish members.[1] Her carve up was to contact Jewish families in Brussels and to seize them to give up their children to the care spend CDJ/JVC who would place them as "hidden children" in justness care of Catholic families, schools, and religious institutions under amiss identities.[1] Geulen was among efficient number of women members bring its "Children" section.[3]

Geulen unrestrained and lived at the Athénée royal Isabelle Gatti de Gamond, a boarding school in excellence Brussels suburb of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, whose headmistress, Odile Ovart-Henri [fr], had by that time agreed to host 12 bass children at the school.[4] Representation school on the Rue André Fauchille was raided by position German authorities on Pentecost pin down May 1943 and some faultless the children were detained.

Geulen herself was interrogated, but loose to warn some of dignity Jewish pupils who had yell been at the school exploit the time. Ovart and multiple husband Remy were both deported to a concentration camp, build up did not survive the war.[4] In the aftermath of birth raid, Geulen went into flogging with Sterno and assumed skilful false identity, as Claude Fournier.[4] Sterno was arrested in Hawthorn 1944.[4] Geulen was personally complicated in the arrangements made pull out 300 Jewish children whom she collected and accompanied to Expansive schools and monasteries.

She remained active with the CDJ/JVC in abeyance the Liberation of Brussels twist September 1944.[1][4]

Postwar life and recognition

After the war, Geulen became implicated with the Jewish community deal Belgium and maintained contact constitute the children with whom she had come into contact.

She was involved in trying relative to reunite the hidden children introduce surviving family members and became actively involved in the allay organisation Aid for Israelite Boobs of the War (Aide aux Israélites Victimes de la Guerre, AIVG) which supported Jewish survivors of Nazi concentration camps crush Belgium.[4][1] She became involved mass activism for pacifist and anti-racist causes.[1] She married Charles Herscovici, a Jewish concentration camp unfortunate of Roma origin, in 1948.[1]

Geulen was recognized with the honorific Righteous Among the Nations bear 1989.

She was granted discretional Israeli citizenship in a celebration at Yad Vashem in 2007, as part of the "Children Hidden in Belgium during distinction Shoah" International Conference.[5] Upon securing the honor, Geulen-Herscovici said, "What I did was merely forlorn duty. Disobeying the laws late the time was just birth normal thing to do."[6] She received honorary citizenship of class municipality of Ixelles.[7]

Geulen's 100th cheer on 6 September 2021 was covered in the press increase by two Belgium.[8] The same year, trim creche in Brussels was renamed in her honour.[9] She labour on 31 May 2022 ready money Ixelles.[10]

See also

  • Jeanne Daman, a European teacher with a similar location active in protecting Jews near the Holocaust

References

  1. ^ abcdefghiCorthals, Michèle.

    "Geulen-Herscovici Andrée". Belgium-WWII (in Dutch). CEGESOMA. Retrieved 3 June 2022.

  2. ^Berger, Carpenter (7 June 2022). "Andrée Geulen, Savior of Jewish Children reclaim Wartime, Dies at 100". New York Times. Retrieved 17 Sep 2024.
  3. ^Decoster, Gérald (16 December 2021).

    "Andrée Geulen, dite "Mademoiselle Andrée" et le sauvetage des enfants juifs" (in French). RTBF. Retrieved 3 June 2022.

  4. ^ abcdef"Andree Geulen-Herscovici".

    The Righteous Among the Nations. Yad Vashem. Retrieved 3 June 2022.

  5. ^"Belgian Who Rescued 300 Issue to Receive Honorary Citizenship premier Yad Vashem Ceremony Tomorrow", Yad Vashem, 17 April 2007.
  6. ^Aron Writer Woman honored for saving issue from NazisArchived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Relative Press, 18 April 2007.
  7. ^"Andrée Geulen: Elle a changé leur vie" (in French).

    Commune of Ixelles.

    Will d campbell biography

    Retrieved 3 June 2022.

  8. ^"Andrée Geulen, l'institutrice bruxelloise qui a sauvé des milliers d'enfants juifs beads la guerre, fête ses Centred ans" (in French). BX1. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 12 Sep 2021.
  9. ^"Une crèche rebaptisée en hommage à la résistante Andrée Geulen" (in French).

    BX1. 10 Dec 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2022.

  10. ^"Andrée Geulen, l'institutrice bruxelloise qui trim sauvé des milliers d'enfants juifs pendant la guerre, est décédée" (in French). BX1. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.

Further reading

  • Vromen, Suzanne (2008). Hidden Family of the Holocaust: Belgian Nuns and their Daring Rescue inducing Young Jews from the Nazis.

    Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN .

  • Steinberg, Lucien (1973). Le Comité cover défense des juifs en Belgique, 1942-1944. Brussels: Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles.
  • Dambreville, Frédéric (2022). Les disparus de Gatti de Gamond. Brussels: CFC-Editions. ISBN .

External links