Albouy Jeanne (Bonicel)

Albouy, Jeanne Wilhelm Wulwek left his native Poland and settled in Vienna, where he married Mélanie Heller, also originally from Poland. Wulwek, a chemist by profession, worked for a pharmaceutical company. The couple had two children, Victor (b. 1934) and Claire (b. 1938). In 1938 Austria was annexed to the Third Reich, and the persecution of Jews began immediately, driving many Jews to flee the country. The Wulweks went to Paris, but in 1940, when Nazi Germany invaded France, they found themselves again under German rule. Wilhelm, who was a foreign national, was arrested for some time. Following his release, the family decided to flee to the south of France, where they settled in Calvisson (Gard). A coincidental meeting with a local resident saved them. Jeanne Albouy, whose husband was a prisoner of war in Germany, lived in the town with her 14-year-old daughter, Lucette. Following a meeting with the Wulweks, she decided to shelter them. She arranged for them to stay in her cousin’s empty home in the small nearby village of Sinsans. Wilhelm, Mélanie, Victor, and Claire moved to the house and soon after were joined by Mélanie’s brother, Julius Heller. Wilhelm worked in agriculture, and the children attended the local school. Following the German occupation of southern France in November 1942, the Wulwek family was in constant danger. When arrests occurred in the area, Wilhelm and Mélanie would stay in the nearby forest, while Victor and Claire would hide at Jeanne’s home. Jeanne told the neighbors that her relatives were staying with her. Under Jeanne Albouy’s protection the Wulweks were able to survive for two years until the liberation of France. After the war the Wulwek family returned to Paris, but they remained in close contact with the Albouys, returning to visit Sinsans during summer vacations. Contact with her rescuer and her daughter continued even after Claire immigrated to Israel in 1960. During the First Gulf War, Lucette, fearing for Claire’s safety, suggested that Claire return to Sinsans until the danger had passed. Being very young at the time of the war, Claire (Wulwek) Kohlman could not remember many details, but she always kept a small photograph showing herself together with her brother, Victor, and Lucette Albouy. On the back of the photo, her father had written: “Der wir das Leben verdanken” (To her we owe our lives). On February 14, 2012, Yad Vashem recognized Jeanne Albouy as Righteous Among the Nations. Jeanne Albouy’s grandson, Serge Marignan, traveled to Israel with his wife and daughter, Sarah, and on March 4, 2013, a ceremony in honor of his grandmother was held at Yad Vashem. Claire Kohlman, who has seven children, 30 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, came with her large family. During the emotional ceremony Claire said: “Jeanne did not know us; she had no obligation whatsoever towards us; she most certainly had no obligation to risk herself . . . to save a Jewish family from death.” Serge Marignan, who received the medal and certificate of honor on behalf of his grandmother, addressed Jeanne Albouy: “I am proud to be here today, to say these words in the presence of your great-granddaughter, Sarah, whom you did not have the chance to meet, in celebration of the title of Righteous Among the Nations bestowed on you by Yad Vashem.”