Ordy Jean-Marie & Clémence (Ratier)

Ordy, Jean-Marie Ordy, Clémence-Berthe Algerian-born Alfred Levit grew up in Toulouse (Haute Garonne), where he met his non-Jewish wife, Yvonne Oulié. The couple had three children: Josette (b. 1936), Liliane (b. 1941) and Jacques (b. 1943). In 1930, Alfred was recruited to the French army. With the capitulation of France in May 1940 he was released, and went back to his trading business. In July 1942, however, French police came to arrest Alfred. He was accused of helping Jews escape to Spain, and imprisoned for six months. When he returned, he decided to take his family into hiding. With the help of friends, the family found refuge with Jean-Marie and Clémence Ordy in Gouzens (Haute Garonne), not far from Toulouse. The Ordys owned a small farm and a sheepfold, where Jean-Marie hid the Levits. The refugees were well looked after by their rescuers, who brought them food on a daily basis, with no question of compensation. Alfred and his family were concerned about denunciation, and therefore lived under the family name Yvonne. Josette didn’t attend school, and they rarely left their hiding place, although Alfred would help Jean-Marie in the fields. The Ordys’ daughters visited the three Levit children every day, and played with them to keep them happy. The Ordys' elder son, Léon, was an active member of the resistance. This made hiding the Levits more dangerous, but the Ordys kept them safe for more than two years, until the end of the war. The two families remained in touch for many years, and contact was recently renewed between the grandchildren. On April 27, 2010 Yad Vashem recognized Jean-Marie and Clémence Ordy as Righteous Among the Nations.