place:"Neris-les-Bains, France, Europe" found 1 record - The Canadian Jewish Heritage Network

Notes: Recto has b&w photograph of the casino building in Neris-les-bains. On verso are handwritten messages and address with three red postal stamps on top right with ink stamps. Postcard sent to Serge Philipson in Galway by his daughter Rachel and her cousins Ruth and Stephane. Narrative: In the 1930’s Rachel Levy’s parents, Serge and Sophie Philipson moved from Berlin to Paris due to antisemitism. After a few years, Serge started working in his brother-in-law’s, Henri, company “Les Modes Modernes”. An opportunity to expand the business in Ireland resulted in Serge moving to Irland while his wife Sophie and daughter Rachel stayed in France. In July 1938, the factory opened in Ireland, Rachel and Sophie went for the opening and came back to Paris. In August 1939, Sophie, Rachel, and other family members (Stéphane, Esther, Choura and her mother) went to Cabourg, in Normandy, while Augusta, Ella and Ruth went to Neris-les-bains. Since Paris wasn’t safe for Jews anymore, they decided to stay in Cabourg and rented a small house; Rachel was nine years old and started school there. After winter 1939-1940 it was difficult to communicate with Ireland but the family could still send and receive letters from Serge. At the end of winter 1940 Rachel moved to Neris-les-Bains where the rest of the family was. In July 1940, they left for Cauterets where Robert, Serge’s brother, was staying. They rented an apartment owned by Madame Noebès on rue Richelieu (close to the Spanish border). In 1940, Henri and Stéphane returned to the Riviera. With Néné, they moved to Hotel Victoria on the rue Antibes in Cannes. In August 1942, Mr. Kleinman (a friend from Paris) arrived in Cauterets and told them that Jews who had come to France after 1933 would be deported. Ella, Ernest, Ruth, Robert and Esther were arrested by local police and would be deported and killed later on. At the beginning of 1943, Sophie, her daughter Rachel, Oma, Henri, Stéphane and Néné left Cauterets to move to Maubourguet. In April 1943, they moved to Cannes in Hotel Victoria. On July 15 1943, Rachel turned 15 years old. Mr. Borello offered to hide Henri, Sophie and Grandmother Augusta (Oma) while Stéphane and Rachel were taken care of by Néné and returned to Maubourguet. In January 1944, Henri, Sophie and Augusta were denounced, arrested and transferred to Marseille and then sent by train to Drancy from where they were later deported (they did not survive). Jean (who was in a relationship with Rachel’s aunt Suzanne) came to Maubourget, gave Rachel his daughter’s identity “Jacqueline” and she left for Juan-les-Pins. In 1944, she moved from one place to another and still continued to correspond with her father. At the end of the war, Rachel met her uncle Shaja at the Polish Consulate in Lyon. He offered to help her to get papers to go to Ireland. On June 14, 1945, she spent three days in London with some family members and then took a boat-train for Dublin where she was reunited with her father, Serge, whom she had not seen for 6 years. In 1951, Rachel got married. She had four sons and has been living in Montreal since 1954.

Accession No.: 2002.08.320

Name Access: Levy, Rachel

Places: Neris-les-Bains, France, Europe

Archival / Genealogical: Archival Descriptions

Repository: Montreal Holocaust Museum

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