Hiding Edith

Hiding Edith

a true story

by Kathy Kacer

L
IBRARY AND
A
RCHIVES
C
ANADA
C
ATALOGUING IN
P
UBLICATION

Kacer, Kathy, 1954-
Hiding Edith / by Kathy Kacer.

(A Holocaust remembrance book for young readers)
ISBN 1-897187-06-8
ISBN 978-1-897187-06-7

1. Schwalb, Edith--Juvenile literature. 2. Jewish children in the Holocaust--
France--Biography--Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: Holocaust remembrance
book for young readers.

DS135.F9S364 2006            940.53’18’092            C2006-900179-0

Copyright © 2006 by Kathy Kacer

Second Printing 2006
Third Printing 2006

Edited by Charis Wahl
Cover and text design by Melissa Kaita
Author photograph by Nicki Kagan

The views or opinions expressed in this book and the content in which the images are used do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of, nor imply approval or endorsement by, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The publisher apologizes for any errors or omissions and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.

Printed and bound in Canada

Second Story Press gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program.

Published by
S
ECOND
S
TORY
P
RESS
20 Maud Street, Suite 401
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5V 2M5
www.secondstorypress.ca

To Edith Schwalb Gelbard, a courageous and admirable woman
For Gabi and Jake, with love as always

First and foremost, my thanks and gratitude to Edith Gelbard for sharing her story with me. The first time I heard Edith talk about her experiences in Moissac, she was speaking to a group of students. She summarized her story in about five minutes. And in that short time, I heard something remarkable, and knew I wanted to hear more. Edith has patiently endured my thousands of questions with grace and humility, and has always maintained her endearing smile and warm hospitality.

Through Edith, I was introduced to Eric Goldfarb and had the pleasure of interviewing him to fill in some of the missing pieces of this story. Sadly, Eric passed away only a few weeks after our meeting. He was a charming, warm, and witty man and I am grateful we had the opportunity to talk. I am also indebted to his wife, Fee, for generously sharing Eric’s photographs and stories.

My thanks, as always, to Margie Wolfe of Second Story Press, for continuing to encourage and embrace my writing. The Holocaust Remembrance Series, of which this book is a part, is Margie’s creation. She is a tireless advocate of Holocaust literature for young readers, and I admire and respect her greatly.

Thanks as well to Charis Wahl for her patience and diligence in the editing process. Thanks to Carolyn Wood, Melissa Kaita, Phuong Truong, and Leah Sandals, the women of Second Story. They are a dedicated and talented group and it is a pleasure to work with all of them. I am grateful to the Ontario Arts Council for its support.

I have a fabulous circle of friends and family. To those I see, speak to, or email on a regular basis, to those whom I have come to know within the writing community, and to those who feed me on Friday nights, I love and thank you all.

Every day in my life I have my husband, Ian Epstein, and my children, Gabi and Jake. They nurture my soul, and give me balance, perspective, humor, and love.

In 1933, the Nazi party, led by Adolf Hitler, came to power in Germany. Hitler was a brutal dictator who believed that the German people belonged to a superior race. Therefore, his goal was to eliminate those people whom he considered “inferior,” particularly the Jews. He also persecuted the Roma people (then called “Gypsies”), the disabled, and everyone who disagreed with him. His larger aim was to conquer Europe — and then the entire world.

He began his conquest by marching into Vienna, the capital of Austria, on March 12, 1938. In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland and World War II began. Before the war, Jewish communities across Europe had been strong in numbers and spirit. There were many Jewish schools, libraries, synagogues, and museums. Jewish people played an important role in the cultural life of every European country, as composers, writers, athletes, and scientists. But the war brought rules and restrictions for Jewish citizens. Jewish land was confiscated, Jews were not allowed to attend universities and colleges, were excluded from most professions, and were forced to wear the
yellow Star of David on their clothing. Jews were assaulted, arrested, and their businesses taken away. Later they would be sent to prisons and concentration camps to be slave labor; there they would be starved, tortured, and killed. By the time World War II ended in 1945, it is estimated that more than six million Jewish people died or were killed at the hands of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi armies.

A star of David with the French word for Jew (Juif) printed on it.

As the war was closing in on Jewish people across Europe, many frantically fled from one country to another, trying to escape from Adolf Hitler’s persecution, and trying to find a place where they might be safe. When Germany invaded northern France, some Jews sought refuge in the southern part of that country, which was known as a “free zone.” The town of Vichy in southern France was the location of the free zone’s government, under the leadership of Marshall Henri Phillipe Pétain.

The Vichy government wanted to have a good relationship with Adolf Hitler, and collaborated closely with Nazi Germany, hoping for favorable treatment in return. The Vichy regime actively persecuted Jewish people. Jews who had fled to southern France for safety were
arrested and turned over to the Nazis to be sent to concentration camps. Over 75,000 Jews living in southern France were sent to the concentration camps. Of these, only about 2,500 survived the war.

Henri Phillipe Pétain

As Hitler’s forces invaded country after country, terrorizing the inhabitants and searching out Jews, safe places were few. Jews became desperate, fearing for their children’s safety and their own. Many parents were forced to make a heartbreaking decision: to find someone to hide their children.

Jewish children were hidden in convents, on remote farms, in boarding schools and orphanages. Many Christian families were brave enough to take Jewish children into their own homes, even at the risk of their lives.

This was a different kind of hiding. Often the Jewish children lived openly, by concealing their identities behind new names and made-up histories — where they were born, how many siblings they had, who their parents were, even what language they had first spoken. They had to be watchful every moment, taking care with whom they made friends and how they answered even the most harmless-seeming question. Many attended church, hiding their Jewish faith, learning unfamiliar customs and rituals. Always fearful, always ready to move
on if danger threatened, they would stay alive only as long as they kept up their disguises.