Becette Louis & Germaine (Bessette)

Becette, Louis Becette, Germaine (Bessette) Marx Meyer and his wife, Euphrasine, lived in Sarreguemines (Moselle) with their three children, Jerome (b. 1913), Lucien (b. 1914), and Adeline (b. 1920). When the war broke out, the family and many other residents of Alsace-Loraine had to flee toward the south of France. Marx and his family fled first to Beaune in 1939 (without the two boys, who were sent to the French army and later became POWs). In 1940 they left for the small village of Châteauneuf la Forêt (Meuse), where one of Euphrasine’s relatives had arranged a small apartment for them at the Becettes’ home. Louis and Germaine Becette lived there with their three children, Gilbert, Guy, and Renée. They welcomed the Meyers and helped them reorganize their lives. Since Marx could not find a job, the family lived on their savings and a small income that was given to the Alsace-Loraine refugees. They befriended the Becette family and helped in any way they could—either with clothes or with food and basics. In July 1942 Euphrasine, who was sick, died because of a lack of medical treatment. After her funeral Adeline met Robert Hirsh, a Jew from Strasbourg. They were married and joined the Meyer family at Châteauneuf. When the situation became more dangerous, Louis Becette, who was also the local leader of the Resistance, took all of the Meyers’ goods— including some prayer books, which indicated their Jewishness—and hid them until the end of the war. Aside from the Becettes, no one knew the Meyers’ real identity, and they were introduced to the neighborhood as fugitives from Alsace-Loraine. In February 1944 Adeline gave birth to her child, Michèle. On April 6, 1944, the Germans arrived in Châteauneuf with a list of all the Jews to arrest; they went straight to the Becettes’ home. A car stopped in front of the house and about four or five Germans got out. Seeing this, Marx immediately decided that they should flee. It had already been agreed that in case of danger the Meyers would run away through the backyard of the Becettes’ house and lock the door to their apartment. Before they left, Germaine Becette took Michèle and told Adeline she would keep her safe, fearing that her crying would interfere with the Meyers’ flight. When the Germans entered and demanded to open the door to the Meyers’ apartment, Germaine told them that the family had left the day before, and she did not know where they were. The Germans shot at the door multiple times, until it broke, only to find the place empty. They saw baby Michèle with Germaine and assumed she was her child. They left, but not before threatening to burn down the house if Louis—who was wanted for his Resistance activities—were not found. The Meyer family went straight to Louis Becette’s friend in the nearby village of Neuvic-Entier, while Louis sent someone to warn all the Jews in Neuvic about the upcoming arrests. Thanks to him, many of them managed to survive. That same night the Meyer family went back to the Becettes’ home to make sure that Michèle was safe, and the next morning they left for different hiding places and managed to survive until the end of the war. Michèle stayed with the Becettes for a few days, and then Germaine transferred her to a children’s home, believing she would be safe there. Michèle stayed there safely until the liberation. After the war the Meyers’ two sons came back, and the family was reunited. They all stayed in close contact with the Becette couple who, without any second thoughts or compensation, had taken a great risk by helping a Jewish family. If not for them, the Meyers would probably have been caught and sent to the east and almost certain death like many others. The two families are still in touch today and visit each other often. On April 28, 2013, Yad Vashem recognized Louis and Germaine Becette as Righteous Among the Nations.