On Monday, both Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we might remember these two Cork women who, between them, saved more than lives. She whisked them into her car, covered them with blankets, and drove them into the foothills of the Pyrenees. Those places of comfort acted as safe houses.
She went on to say that the cook made extra macaroni and then noted the theatrics that ensued when they tried to wash the children. The boys did not want to take off their underpants; a chilling detail that recalls how desperate parents had warned their circumcised sons not to undress to hide the fact that they were Jewish. If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub.
Check it out HERE and happy reading. Between August and October , nine conveys deported 2, Jewish adults and children from southwest France to Auschwitz, via Drancy in Paris.
Only 84 people came home. The numbers of the dead would have been much higher without the work of Mary Elmes, head of the Quaker delegation at Rivesaltes holding camp, near Perpignan, and her colleagues. Between them, they saved an estimated children. One of those children, Michael Freund, who now lives in Canada, says he remembers Mary Elmes every Holocaust Memorial Day, the international day of memorial on January 27 that recalls the more than 6m Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust.
He said:. Mary Elmes rescued my brother and me when nine convoys were leaving camp de Rivesaltes destined for Auschwitz. She was a courageous and humble person who contributed to Jewish survival for which the Irish people can rightfully feel proud.
