Fireside Chat, Panel
Holocaust Survivors on Hope, Survival, and the Responsibility to Remember
- Holocaust Survival Narrative: Brothers Henry and Bernie Shanzer (born March 13, 1935, in Liège, Belgium) survived the Shoah as hidden children, crediting their survival to their mother, Bella, and three French rescuers: Adolphine Dorel ("Mémé"), her daughter Jeanne Bonhomme, and the Marquis and Marquise de Vireuil.
- Family Tragedy Statistics: Following the German invasion of Belgium (May 10, 1940), the family fled to Saint-Étienne, France; in mid-August 1942, the father Bruno and multiple extended family members were arrested and deported.
- Convoy 27 Casualties: Father Bruno was deported on Convoy 27 from Drancy to Auschwitz, which carried 1,016 people; only 30 survived the war, including two orphaned children (ages five and nine) who perished without parents.
- Betrayal and Hostage Situation: Initially placed with the Chrétien family, the boys were arrested in August 1942 when their caretaker demanded payment; they were held as hostages at a police station to force their mother's surrender before being moved to a Catholic orphanage.
- Rescue Operations: The boys escaped the orphanage two months later via the semi-clandestine organization Lausanne (L'Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants), first being placed on a neglectful farm in Saint-Étienne where they became severely ill with parasites, then transferred to an orphanage in Grenoble.
- Jeanne Bonhomme's Intervention: Jeanne Bonhomme, a dress shop owner, secured false identity documents for Bella Shanzer and negotiated with Lausanne to locate the boys, bringing them to Adolphine Dorel's farm in Saint-Pas-de-Mont.
- "Mémé" and Cultural Preservation: Adolphine Dorel ("Mémé"), a 65-year-old widow, hid the brothers for two years, teaching them farming to blend in under a cover story of being Protestant relatives and accepting their daily recitation of the Shema prayer.
- Family Reunification Timeline: The brothers were reunited with their mother and sister Anna in August 1943 at a castle in the Vireuil estate, which was abandoned after a denunciation; they lived with Dorel until August 1945 when the war ended.
- Post-War Recognition: In 1980, the sisters' family petitioned Yad Vashem, which posthumously recognized Jeanne Bonhomme and Adolphine Dorel as "Righteous Among the Nations" for risking their lives to save Jews.
- Family Legacy: All four children became professionals (two engineers, one lawyer, one doctor) and served in the US military/academy; the speakers now dedicate their lives to sharing their testimony to combat anti-Semitism.
- Contextual Warning: The narrative opens with the assertion that the Holocaust remains a daily reality for Jews, citing the October 7th attacks and the murder of 15 Jews celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach as evidence that "never again" requires active vigilance.
- Moral Imperative: The speakers conclude that the world must emulate the moral compass of the rescuers who risked their lives, urging that "we must make sure that this never happens again, never again."