Gozzi Noël

Gozzi, Noël Noël Gozzi was appointed principal of the College Lanion, a struggling academic institution, in 1939. Within two years Gozzi had rehabilitated the school. However, the occupying German authorities charged him with expressing views that ran counter to Nazi ideology and were "harming" his students. Though the claims against him could not be proven and he was eventually released, colleagues of his who were in collaboration with the Germans forced him to resign his post. In late 1941, Gozzi assumed leadership of a less prestigious school, the College Champollion-Figeac. Meanwhile, with the fall of the southern "free" zone in November 1942, the situation of the Jews living in these areas worsened. Representatives of the OSE (Oeuvre de secours aux enfants), a local Jewish aid organization, turned to Gozzi with the request that his institution shelter Jewish boys whose parents had been arrested or who had nowhere to hide. After consulting with his wife, Gozzi readily agreed. In the summer of 1943, 11 Jewish boys, each under an assumed name, were enrolled in the College Champollion-Figeac. To allay suspicion, the boys attended church at the local cathedral on Sundays. In addition, Gozzi was concerned that the boys would draw attention if they did not leave the institution on weekends and holidays like the other students. Together with the OSE, they enlisted the help of the Jewish youth group "6eme," which made arrangements to host the students on days when they were expected to be away from school. Gozzi was involved with every aspect of the boys’ safety while they were in his care. On May 12, 1944, without prior warning, an SS unit stormed the school, destroying everything they could find. They ordered the entire village, including the school’s students and faculty, to assemble immediately. Of those gathered, 800 were sent to various concentration camps. Gozzi had been absent during the roundup, but he joined the assembly of his own volitionas soon as he found out about it. However, the Germans sent him home due to his advanced age. Of the 11 Jewish students, three are known to have survived. Hebert Zyserman (b. 1926) was deported through Mautoban and Vierzon towards the camps. With the help of the assistant manager of the Vierzon train station, Hebert managed to escape the train. He eventually joined the underground and fought the SS and Wehrmacht until the end of the war. Two other students, Simon Liwerant (b. 1928) and Peter Feigel (b. 1929), hid during the May 1944 roundup. They joined up with members of the "6eme" youth group, and successfully crossed the Swiss border to safety. On May 17, 2011, Noël Gozzi was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.