Among the just

This plaque in Lagrasse is next to the former boulangerie. It reads:

A la mémoire d'Agnès et Lucien Bertrand, reconnus justes parmi les nations, qui, sous l'occupation, ont eu le courage de sauver en ce lieu deux personnes juives, Paula Neiger et Martin Tattmar

In memory of Agnès and Lucien Bertrand, recognised as just among nations, who during the occupation had the courage to save two Jews, Paula Neiger and Martin Tattmar

I took a photo of it while waiting for S to come out of his appointment at the doctor's (yes, his blisters are so bad he had to visit the doctor, and I had to drive him there). This evening I googled the names on the plaque, not really expecting to find any information, and was surprised to find the whole story quite easily.

Paula was a young Jewish woman who had been sent to live in Lagrasse, and was hiding Martin in her attic. In May 1944, she heard that the Gestapo were planning a round-up of Jews in the village. Searching for help she ended up asking the bakers from whom she bought her daily bread if they knew of anywhere she could hide. Barely hesitating, they offered to hide both her and Martin in the space above the oven, keeping it a secret from their three young daughters. Paula and Martin hid there for several weeks, the baker supplying food, and even water to soak the floor when he was using the oven.

When the Gestapo threatened to search the bakery, the couple moved on to another hiding place, and Lucien was tortured but refused to talk (he was eventually released). The family continued to send food parcels to Paula and Martin via their daughters.

After the war, Paula and Martin married and emigrated to the US. They never forgot "the angels who saved us". In a modern world of hatred, intolerance and lack of respect for difference, I found this story heartwarming. The Bertrands were recognised as "justes parmi les nations" in 1968, but the plaque was only put up in 2011, as part of a school project by students from Lézignan and Lagrasse.