Roux Joseph ; Daughter: Mignot Yvonne (Roux)

Roux, Joseph Mignot, Yvonne (Roux) File 2339 When the war broke out in 1939, the Weills, French Jews, were living in Alsace. They were evacuated along with the entire population of that region. For months, the Weills wandered through France seeking refuge. In these difficult circumstances, Mme Weill gave birth to a little girl, Arlette, who almost died at birth. In 1943, desperate and destitute, the Weills reached Clermont d’Excideuil, in the département of Dordogne. They were directed to Joseph Roux, the mayor of the village, who was known to be willing to help Jews. Roux registered them as residents of the village and did not write Juif next to their names. With the help of his daughter Yvonne, who, as a municipal clerk, had access to papers and forms, Roux provided the Weills with forged identification cards bearing the French name Veill and ration cards. With this civil status, the Weills lived quite safely. Roux also arranged accommodation for the Weills in the village rectory, which was empty, on the assumption that Jews would not be sought there. He brought furniture and household implements, and ploughed the land around the house for a vegetable patch. The Weills were not the only family assisted by Roux and his daughter, Yvonne. Roux falsely registered other Jewish families, supplied identification papers that confirmed their registration with the town council, safeguarded valuables and jewelry belonging to Jews, and later returned these items to their owners. The Weills lived in the rectory until the end of the occupation. In 1944, Roux drove Mme Weill in his horse drawn carriage to the maternity hospital, where her second daughter, Violette, was born. At the three German checkpoints, Roux explained that the woman he was taking to the hospital was his daughter. Roux knew the danger he faced, because the village’s small size made it difficult to hide actions and people. The danger escalated further in late 1942, when German troops encamped in thevicinity of Clermont d’Excideuil. After the war, the Weills and their daughters returned to Alsace and stayed in touch with their rescuers. On July 26, 1982, Yad Vashem recognized Joseph Roux and his daughter Yvonne as Righteous Among the Nations.