Twin brothers Henry and Bernard Schanzer were born in Belgium in 1935. When the Nazis invaded Belgium in 1940, the Schanzer family escaped to Saint-Étienne in the south of France, which shortly fell under Vichy rule.
After living openly as Jews in Saint-Étienne for almost two years, the seven-year-old brothers went into hiding in 1942 on a farm in Saint-Pal-de-Mons. With the assistance of several righteous Catholics—including a local dressmaker and a Count and Countess who were part of the French resistance—the brothers, their sister, and their mother survived until the end of the war. Their father, who wasn’t able to hide with his family in the countryside, was sent to Auschwitz.
After emigrating to the United States in 1946, Henry Schanzer became an attorney and Bernard Schanzer became a doctor.
Join the Museum for this Stories Survive program, in which the Schanzers will tell their remarkable story of courage, compassion, and rescue.
A $10 suggested donation enables us to present programs like this one. We thank you for your support.
Stories Survive is made possible by the Goldie & David Blanksteen Foundation.
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Public programming at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; a Humanities New York CARES Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal CARES Act; and other generous donors.
