Talks at GS Holocaust Survivors on Hope, Survival, and the Responsibility to Remember
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Apr 13, 2026 Henry Schanzer, hidden as a child in France and now a longtime storyteller, and Bernie Schanzer, who survived hiding with his brother and dedicates his life to remembrance, share their memories. They discuss childhood escape, clandestine rescue networks, life on a protective farm, reunification after the war, and the moral duty to remember and honor those who risked everything.
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Hidden Children Separated From Parents In 1942
- Bernie and Henry were hidden children after their parents sent them away in August 1942 as Nazi roundups escalated.
- They were left with acquaintances (Monsieur and Madame Chrétien), then taken to a Catholic orphanage and later rescued by the clandestine group LOSÉ.
Resistance Group LOSÉ Engineered Secret Rescue
- Two men from LOSÉ extracted the boys from the orphanage and placed them on a farm, later moving them to a Grenoble orphanage for better care.
- LOSÉ hid their locations from their mother to protect the children from capture or coercion.
Mother's Desperate Search Led To Jeanne Bonhomme
- Their mother, Bella, after escaping arrest, repeatedly sought safe houses and narrowly avoided capture before meeting Jeanne Bonhomme who provided a false identity and work with the Marquis de Vireux.
- Jeanne then negotiated with LOSÉ to locate and reunite the children with La Mamé.