Payen Edouard & Thérèse (Robin)

Payen, Edouard Payen, Thérèse During the war, Edouard and Thérèse Payen lived in Lyon, where Edouard was a businessman. They had eight children. In 1942, they welcomed a Jewish couple into their home: Michel Kelner and his wife Dwojra (née Burgaud), along with their two children, Solange and Lazare. The connection with the refugee family was made by one of the Payens' daughters, who volunteered in the Red Cross. After a few days, Solange and Lazare were taken to another hiding place in the village of Claire (Indre). Edouard and Thérèse took care of the Kelners until liberation, despite the great risk this entailed for themselves and their own children. Nevertheless, due to pressure from Edouard's family regarding the danger of his rescue action, after about six months, Edouard decided to renovate two bedrooms in the attic of the building for Michel and Dwojra. During their entire stay, Michel, a tailor by profession, made clothes for the Payens in order to thank them for their great kindness. Thanks to their rescuers' immense courage, Michel and Dwojra Kelner managed to survive the war and reunite with their children. The two families stayed in close contact for many more years. On October 10, 2011, Yad Vashem recognized Edouard and Thérèse Payen as Righteous Among the Nations.