Boucherit Jules

Boucherit, Jules File 5653a In October 1940, the numerus clausus was introduced under the Statut des Juifs, limiting the number of Jews in various professions and in institutions of higher learning. Students at the National Conservatory of Paris, the most important music school in France, were among those affected. Jules Boucherit, a famous violinist and one of the finest teachers at the Conservatory, attracted students from all over the world. In the school year of October 1940, the following Jews were enrolled in his class: David Erlih, Lionel Gali, Michel Schwalbe, Ivry Gitlis, Charles Cyroulnik, and Denise Soriano. Boucherit found a way to continue teaching his Jewish students. On the pretext of shaky health (he was in his sixties) and with the consent of the school’s chief administrator, Boucherit transferrred his classes to a villa in Burron-Marlote, a village south of Paris, made available to him by the pianist Magda Tagliaferro, a colleague and friend at the Conservatory who had been forced to flee to South America. In 1942, when the situation of the Jews in the capital deteriorated, the Jewish students moved into the villa and stayed there until the liberation. Not only did Boucherit teach them, he also tended to their material needs and sheltered them. Remarkably, none of the servants in the villa and no one in the neighboring villages complained to the authorities about the illegal activity there. After the war, Jules Boucherit married one of his Jewish students, Denise Soriano, who became a renowned violinist and teacher in her own right. On February 28, 1993, Yad Vashem recognized Jules Boucherit as Righteous Among the Nations.