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 " Maillard FAMILY
Maillard Renée (1906 - 1988 )
Rescue Story
Maillard, Renée
Louis Joseph and Renée Maillard lived in the town of Chapareillan (Isère). Louis Joseph, a musician, first worked locally and then found employment at a newspaper in Lyon – which meant that he was absent from home most weekdays, leaving Renée to raise their seven children.
At the end of 1943, Renée welcomed Jacqueline Mizne, a young Jewish girl, into her home.
Jacqueline's father, Jacques, and his wife, Genia (née Boczke), had settled in Brussels, Belgium in 1931, with Genia's mother Riwa. It was there that Jacqueline was born, in May 1940 [décembre 1936]. After the German invasion of Belgium, however, the family of four fled to La Tronche, near Grenoble, France. After escaping arrest by the Gestapo in May 1943, Jacques, a fervent member of the resistance, was hiding at the Notre Dame de Sion nunnery in Grenoble, with the help of its mother superior, Magda Zech*. Jacques spent his time at the nunnery preparing false documents for Zech to use in helping many Jewish refugees escape over the border to Switzerland. Zech was aided in her efforts by a nun named Josephine (Denise Paulin)*, who would dress in civilian clothes and deliver messages to the underground. She also rescued many Jewish children, including Jacqueline Mizne, at great personal risk.
After failing to find Jacques, the Gestapo had arrested Genia and Riwa, and sent them to the Forte de Montluc Prison in Lyon. Jacqueline, who was on vacation from the Catholic school of the Notre Dame de Sion nunnery that day, was left by the Gestapo in the Miznes' apartment in the care of the housekeeper. They warned her to look after the young girl until they returned.
On hearing of the predicament that Jacqueline was now in, Zech had told two of her nuns to take a letter to the Italian authorities in Grenoble, in which Jacques had instructed that his daughter Jacqueline be looked after by the nunnery if he and his wife were arrested. When the Italian officer in charge, Masceroni, learned about what had happened to Jacqueline, he was enraged that he had not been informed of the Germans' actions, which had taken place in a region under Italian jurisdiction. He ordered the immediate release of Jacqueline, and her return to the nunnery. A jeep flying the Italian flag with the two nuns on board made its way through Grenoble to return Jacqueline to safety. However, her stay at the nunnery was now too dangerous, and Zech decided to give her over into the care of Maillard, a friend of Josephine's parents.
In her testimony, Jacqueline spoke of Maillard as a "model mother," who looked after her children with complete devotion, despite their humble circumstances. She took in Jacqueline, in full knowledge of her Jewish background, without hesitation, and at great risk to the lives of her entire family. Explaining to her neighbors that Jacqueline was her niece, she sent one of her daughters to the nunnery in her place, and Jacqueline attended school as Jacqueline Maillard. She cared for the young girl with great warmth and love.
Jacqueline's mother and grandmother were set free by the Italians in 1943 and found refuge in Isere until the liberation. The entire family was reunited after the war.
On 18 October 2006, Yad Vashem recognized Renée Maillard as Righteous Among the Nations."
Laurent Laloup le samedi 06 janvier 2018 - Demander un contact Recherche sur cette contribution | |
