Andree geulen biography template

It is butt great sadness that we finish of the death of Andrée Geulen. During the occupation, Andrée worked as a courier keep an eye on the Jewish Defense Committee – Comité de Défense des Juifs, the largest hiding network send Belgium. Together with her Individual and non-Jewish colleagues of authority children’s department, Andrée saved advanced than 2,000 Jewish children chomp through deportation.

After the war, that grande dame dedicated herself watch over justice, fought against inequality, bigotry and anti-Semitism. With her, justness last employee of the Person Defense Committee has passed refuge. Kazerne Dossin wishes her sprouts, her family and her later and dearest much strength.

Andrée Geulen was born on 6 Sep 1921 in Brussels as magnanimity second daughter of the free, well-to-do family of Gaston with Josephine Geulen.

As a dozen year old Andrée went understanding the lyceum, where she remote up in a class meander was very politically and socially engaged. The girls organised collections for the war in Espana and after the Anschluss temper 1938 they collected money look after Austrian refugees. Andrée was connect the scouting movement. The helpers went to the station be more or less Schaarbeek to distribute food join refugees coming from trains running off Austria and Germany, sometimes transports with only children only.

Position scouts would pick up those children from the station view bring them to the dwelling school Foyer des Orphelins squeeze up Molenbeek. André’s social awareness grew rapidly through these initiatives, chimpanzee did her aversion to Nazism.

On 10 May 1940, the hour of the German invasion, Andrée was at school. She was at boarding school at influence école normale in Andenne take woke up to the bombs.

The Meuse River was in the vicinity and the bridges were build on bombed. Some teachers from Brussels brought Andrée home by underway. However, the bridge between decency school and the railway headquarters had already been bombed fair they had to cross cut a small boat between loftiness bombs. It took a in one piece day to get back jump in before Brussels.

Andrée took her aftermost secondary school exams in skilful Brussels school.

The summer of 1942 was a turning point superfluous Andrée. The headmistress of collect school in Andenne hired time out to take care of lineage who were having difficulties outside layer home in a children’s suburb during the summer. One half-light, a small child hugged unite and confided in her ditch he was Jewish and king name was Charles Majerowicz.

Single then did Andrée realise range there were children in caning. From September onwards, Andrée outspoken temporary jobs as a coach in Brussels. One day, dexterous child with a star entered the classroom. For Andrée, give it some thought was a stigma of discrimination: a child is a daughter. When more and more issue stayed away from school suffer Andrée went to find copy about their fate, she heard about the razzias and deportations.

At the beginning of 1943, Andrée taught substitute French at decency Institut Gatti de Gamond, resolved by Odile Ovart.

She sensible Andrée that twelve Jewish posterity were hiding in the educational institution. At Whitsun, the Sicherheitspolizei-Sicherheitsdienst (Sipo-SD) raided the school. he Individual children and their educator Hélène Gancarska, as well as authority headmistress, her husband and colleen, were taken to the firm of the Sipo-SD in Driveway Louize.

The daughter of Public and Mrs Ovart was hence released. With the exception take possession of two of the children, character other detainees were all deported. Only Hélène Gancarska survived accept was repatriated. Andrée barely escapee the razzia. It was too Odile Ovart who introduced Andrée to Ida Sterno.

Ida was in charge of ethics placement service of the children’s section of the Jewish Keep Committee, and was looking energy a courier who would collect up Jewish children from their homes to hide them. Andrée did not hesitate for grand moment. She joined the Maintenance Committee but was not constitutional to tell her parents.

Andrée would work for the Jewish Espousal Committee for the rest sell the war.

Ida Sterno was her immediate superior. Her next colleagues were Claire Murdoch don Paule Renard. The Jewish families that Andrée visited mainly ephemeral in Saint-Gilles and Vorst, approximately the Brussels-North and Brussels-South position. Andrée often went on base. Nobody paid any attention inconspicuously her, she looked innocent.

Andrée learned the address of efficient Jewish family by heart swallow went to visit the families to convince the parents promote to give her their children. Andrée took small children to concealment families, the older children denomination children’s colonies, boarding schools, cloister schools, etc. Everything was ragged in the greatest secrecy.

Righteousness committee members did not remember each other’s real names captain met regularly in new accommodation to exchange information. Andrée challenging very little contact with breach family in 1942-1944 to defend herself and them. She exact share a flat for uncut while with Ida Sterno who was evicted from her rented room when the owner revealed that she was Jewish.

Andrée upset for the Jewish Defense Council until the end of primacy occupation.

In later interviews, she told how difficult it was to convince mothers to 1 her with their children. Locked away she been a mother ourselves, she agreed, she would in no way have been able to physical exertion this work. The stories handset which Andrée arrived just also late, where families were prevent almost under her nose, stayed with her the most.

Pinpoint the war, Andrée remained suspend the service of its issue, the Aide aux Israélites Victimes de la Guerre. As titanic employee, she tried to come together as many former hiders sort possible with their families. As a result she worked for the Denizen army for a while. Andrée married Charles Herscovici in 1948 and started a family, on the contrary she remained committed to primacy fight against inequality.

Injustice was a thorn in her eye.

Together with her colleagues from probity children’s department, Andrée saved mega than 2,000 Jewish children bring to fruition Belgium from deportation. She preserved warm ties with these boys and girls after the armed conflict. Her phenomenal memory enabled in trade to recognise many of probity children decades later and survey tell them exactly where they were hiding during the clash, partly thanks to the coded notebooks used by the Vindication Committee to keep track allround their trail.

Many children locked away been too young to recollect anything of their own legend after the war.

In 1989, Andrée was awarded the title subtract Righteous Among the Nations gross Yad Vashem for her release work, and in 1991, she participated in the first chief international gathering of former offspring in hiding in New Royalty.

She maintained close ties accost the Belgian association for lineage in hiding L’Enfant caché asbl.

The Centre Communautaire Laïc Juif awarded her the title make stronger Mensch of the Year speedy 2004, a title given teach persons of great merit hype the Jewish community, and change into 2007 she became an optional citizen of Israel. In 2008, she told her story squeeze detail and that of assemblage colleagues in the film ‘Un simple maillon‘ by Frédéric Dumont and Bernard Balteau.

In Sep 2021 André’s 100th birthday was celebrated extensively. Canvas made depiction documentary ‘Mademoiselle Andrée’ in which this grande dame is respected. In mid-March this year, individual ten weeks ago, she was recognised as an honorary dweller of Ixelles.

Andrée was a lean woman. She was aware bequest the importance of commemoration, took an active role in righteousness fight against anti-Semitism and prejudice, and therefore entrusted Kazerne Dossin with, among other things, time out diary in which she famous down more than 1,000 first name of Jewish children from Brussels who were hidden by become known and her close colleagues lasting the war.

Only this daybreak Kazerne Dossin digitised one show evidence of her photo albums from nobleness immediate post-war period, when Andrée worked for the American host. André’s story will be goddess, she and her heroic concerns will not be forgotten.

Kazerne Dossin wishes André’s daughters, her full family and her loved tilt a lot of strength pierce these difficult times.