Marzellier Hélène

Marzellier, Hélène File 1484 Hélène Marzellier lived in Poitiers, the capital of the département of Vienne, in the German-occupied zone. In 1942-1944, she was a senior clerk at the prefecture and therefore had prior knowledge of plans to arrest local Jews. She used this sensitive information to warn targeted Jews in advance. Along with her colleague Jeannette Caillaud-Fayolle (q.v.), Marzellier warned Jews personally or through liaisons, and cooperated with Father Fleury (q.v.) in his systematic rescue efforts. In late September 1943, Marzellier warned Régine Breidick, the secretary of Rabbi Eli Bloch, after finding her name (and the names of her brother and sister, Jacques and Jeanne) on a list of Jews in Poitiers whose French citizenship had been revoked. Aware that the three Jews faced arrest, Marzellier rushed to Breidick’s home, warned of the imminent danger, advised immediate flight, and told her to warn her brother and sister. She obtained a false identification card for Régine with the help of Father Fleury’s assistant. Thanks to her prompt action, the three Breidicks escaped and survived. Marzellier, who ran great risks, never sought a reward for these rescue operations; she was motivated soley by humanitarian concerns. On October 25, 1978, Yad Vashem recognized Hélène Marzellier as Righteous Among the Nations.