September 15, 2005
The Israeli Holocaust Memorial Institution Yad Vashem will recognize two women from France as "Righteous Among the Nations" for helping Jews escape from the Nazi death camps. Suzanne Vaillant Saunier, the director of a nursery school in Bourron Marlotte, and Helene Patras de Campaigno, her assistant, saved the lives of 23 Jewish children during the German occupation of France in the 1940s. The local mayor, M. Dupond, also will be recognized for his assistance in procuring meal tickets to feed the children. Dina Sorek, representing the Israeli embassy, will be present at the event, as will numerous local politicians, to present Saunier with the awards this weekend. De Campaigno died in 1965.
