Names Not Numbers

Henry Schanzer

Liege, Belgium

In Hiding

1935

Henry Schanzer

Liege, Belgium

1935

Bernard and Henry Schanzer, twin brothers, were born in 1935 in Liège, Belgium. The boys had an older sister named Anna.

When the Germans invaded Belgium in 1940, the family fled to St. Etienne, France. This area came under the control of the Vichy government, and in 1942, there was a major roundup of Jews.

Their father, Bruno, along with several members of his extended family, was arrested by the French police and handed over to the Germans. They were taken to Drancy and then transported to Auschwitz, where they were murdered.

Before his arrest, Bruno had arranged for a non-Jewish friend to care for the children. However, when hiding Jews became dangerous, this person turned the twins over to the police.

Fortunately, Bernard and Henry were rescued by an organization called the OSE and taken to a farm. Meanwhile, their mother, Bella, moved from place to place seeking safety. In the spring of 1943, Bella met Jeanne Bonhomme, known as “Tatan Janot,” who helped find places for her to hide and took Anna under her protection. Jeanne also secured a safe place for the twins with her own mother, Adolphine D’Orel, affectionately called “La Meme.”

Thanks to these extraordinary women, Bella and her children survived the war. In 1980, Jeanne and Adolphine were honored as Righteous Gentiles at Yad Vashem.

In 1946, Bella immigrated to the United States with her three children and a nephew, Jack Shapiro, whose parents had been killed in Auschwitz. Bella worked tirelessly in the garment center to support and raise the four children on her own.

They lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where Bernard and Henry were enrolled in the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School. Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the principal of the school, became an important influence in their lives.

Anna, z”l, became a school teacher, had two children, and made Aliyah. Bernard became a neurologist, and Henry pursued a career as a patent attorney. Between the two brothers, they have 10 children and 39 grandchildren.

In 1980, encouraged by their sister, Bernard and Henry filed the necessary documents to have their rescuers honored as Righteous Gentiles at Yad Vashem.

‍

Names Not Numbers

Henry Schanzer

Henry Schanzer

The End