Baratz Denise

Baratz, Denise Siegfried and Hélène Krako lived with their two children, Alice (b. 1932) and Edgar (b. 1929), in Germany. After Siegfried returned from Dachau in the winter of 1939-1940, where he had been interned since 1938, the family made its way to France through Holland and Belgium. Being foreigners, they were interned to Gurs camp in southwest France. They somehow managed to get away, and looked for a place to hide. They first made it to a little village near Agen, and from there to Caudecoste (Lot et Garonne). There, Hélène gave birth to her third child, Renée, in February 1943. In Caudecoste, the Krako family benefitted from the help of the whole village, and especially from Denise Baratz, a young teacher, who took them under her wing. Baratz helped find shelter for the children with members of her family and took care of Hélène when she gave birth to Renée. In 1943, Siegfried was caught by the Germans and sent to Drancy. His family never saw him again. Alice (today Alisa) remembers that one time, during a roundup in the area, she ran away with her baby sister on her back and made it to Baratz's house. Denise took them in and gave them shelter until the danger had passed. She repeated this behavior every time there was the slightest chance of arrest of the Krakos, always welcoming in Hélène and her three children despite the great risk this involved. The Krakos and their rescuer maintained warm relations for many years after the war. On May 3, 2009, Yad Vashem recognized Denise Baratz as Righteous Among the Nations.