Hugues Raymond & Paulette

Hugues, Paulette Hugues, Raymond File 2782 When the Germans occupied Belgium, the Frenkel family fled from Antwerp and took refuge in Montélimar. In 1942, M. Frenkel was taken to a labor camp and later perished in Dachau. Mme Frenkel and her two children were interned in a concentration camp in France. A humanitarian organization liberated the two children from the camp and placed them in a children’s home in the Peyrins estate near Romans in the département of Drôme. Many Jewish children found refuge in this institution, which was run by Germaine Chesneau (q.v.). Young Marcel Frenkel and his sister stayed for about a year until the Gestapo discovered a list of children hidden in the school. That very night, the home’s staff members evacuated the youngsters and hid them in different places. A group of about fifty children, including Marcel Frenkel, was taken to Rosans, in the département of Hautes Alpes. Some were housed in a large building on the outskirts of the village, and the rest were taken in by local families. Marcel was sheltered with Raymond and Paulette Hugues, a young couple without children. He was seven years old. The Hugues family welcomed him with warmth and kindness and treated him like their own son. Marcel remained with them until the liberation, about a year and a half later. At no time did Raymond and Paulette Hugues pressure him to convert or even to go to mass on Sundays. During that whole time, Marcel Frenkel had no news from his mother and sister. Raymond Hugues was active in the Resistance and was wanted by the Germans. Whenever they approached, he had to go into hiding. Despite his personal danger, he also took the risk of hiding a little Jewish boy. Whenever the Germans raided Rosans, Hughes first hid Marcel in a sawmill that belonged to him and only afterward took shelter himself. The Hugues family never sought the slightest recompense for their courageous actions. They acted out of love of humankind and opposition to theGerman occupier. After the liberation, Marcel Frenkel’s mother and sister obtained his rescuers’ address through the Red Cross and reclaimed him. For about a year and a half, the Hugues family, who were well off, sent food and clothing to the destitute Frenkel family. Marcel Frenkel eventually immigrated to Israel. He stayed in touch with his rescuers. In 1981, when he visited the Hugueses in Rosans, they were thrilled and proud to see him. On January 5, 1994, Yad Vashem recognized Raymond Hugues and his wife Paulette as Righteous Among the Nations.