Léon Israël
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Léon Israël, also known as Dr. Israël, born on January 13, 1906, in
Kœnigsmacker Kœnigsmacker (; Lorraine Franconian: ''Maacher''/''Kinneksmaacher''; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Kœnigsmacker was the birthplace of Father Jean-Vincent Scheil (1858–1940), a French Domin ...
and assassinated by the
Milice The (French Militia), generally called (; ), was a political paramilitary organization created on 30 January 1943 by the Vichy France, Vichy régime (with Nazi Germany, German aid) to help fight against the French Resistance during World War ...
of
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
on April 27, 1944, in
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
was a French
doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
,
resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...
, and
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
. Before
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he pursued studies at the Faculty of Medicine in Strasbourg and quickly became a respected physician, collaborating notably with Max Aron. Originally from
Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...
, he joined his family in
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
in 1941 after they sought refuge there. He clandestinely provided medical assistance to the resistance fighters in the city and surrounding areas. He also provided care to the needy in the region, earning the appreciation of the population of
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
. While on his way to visit his brother-in-law and sister, he was shot in front of them and his niece by the
Milice The (French Militia), generally called (; ), was a political paramilitary organization created on 30 January 1943 by the Vichy France, Vichy régime (with Nazi Germany, German aid) to help fight against the French Resistance during World War ...
, in front of the current 116 rue du 28 juin 1944 in Mâcon. After his assassination, the Israël family was hidden by the Blanvillain family, who were recognized as
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...
in 2005.


Biography


Birth and youth

Léon Israël was born on January 13, 1906, in
Kœnigsmacker Kœnigsmacker (; Lorraine Franconian: ''Maacher''/''Kinneksmaacher''; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Kœnigsmacker was the birthplace of Father Jean-Vincent Scheil (1858–1940), a French Domin ...
, in occupied
Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...
. His father was named Isaac Israel and was a merchant. His family owned a livestock business. On December 7, 1927, he performed a comedy duo in
Wolfisheim Wolfisheim (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Its synagogue, built in 1897, is a listed monument. Population See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of t ...
at a ball organized by the Jewish community to celebrate the marriage of the rabbi of Dijon's son to a young woman from the Jewish community of Wolfisheim. He attended the funeral of Rosa Israël, a member of his family, on May 20, 1932, and also that of Mrs. Abraham Cahen in 1930. In 1929, he attempted the competition to become an intern at the hospital in
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
and was accepted. At the same time, he pursued his thesis entitled "''Benzene Hemopathies''" and obtained it with highest honors and congratulations from the jury in 1934. He quickly became the director of a clinic in Strasbourg. In 1934, he was awarded the ''Prize of the Association of Students and Alumni of the Faculty of Medicine'' (Strasbourg) and began publishing numerous scientific articles from 1934 to 1935. He also collaborated with Max Aron. After completing his
medical studies Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...
, he practiced medicine and received patients in
Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
, at 42 Rue Serpenoise. He joined the Scientific Society of
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
in 1937.


Arrival in Mâcon

He remained unmarried and continued his medical practice until the
Occupation of France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an Military Administration (Nazi Germany), interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western French Third ...
, when his brother, sister-in-law, and their children decided to flee Moselle and their hometown of
Yutz Yutz (; ; Lorraine Franconian/ ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, close to the borders with both Luxembourg and Germany. It was created in 1971 by merging the former communes of ''Basse-Yutz'' and '' ...
to seek refuge in the
Zone libre The ''zone libre'' (, ''free zone'') was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during World War II, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on 22 June 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered b ...
. Dr. Israël followed them in 1941 and joined them in
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
, where they were settled and hidden by the local resistance, particularly by Léon-Albert and Renée Blanvillain, Mâcon-based hardware store owners.


Resistance

While being relatively protected by the resistance, Léon Israël took on the clandestine task of providing medical care to the local resistance fighters and made rounds in the city to assist the impoverished. However, starting in 1942 with
Operation Anton Case Anton () was the military occupation of Vichy France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally independent state and the disbanding of its army (the severely-limited '' Armisti ...
, which concluded with the annexation of
Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
by
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, the hunt for Jews, which was already significant, intensified even further, forcing the Israël family into hiding. Léon continued to visit his family in Mâcon, but he was sheltered in Beaujeu by the
Rochard family ''Rochard'' is a science fiction platform game available for the PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Network, for Android, Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X through the Steam online distribution platform, and for Linux as part of the Humb ...
, who owned vineyards there. He appeared on a prefectural list that recorded Jewish doctors in the department; his address was listed as 19 Rue Dinet in Mâcon.


Assassination and aftermath

Resistance members attacked a group of Milice members on April 25, 1944. In retaliation, on April 27, 1944, while Léon was discreetly visiting his family on what is now Rue du 28 juin 1944, Léon Israël was arrested on the street by the French Milice, including one André Dumont and one Henri Fournier, who had come from
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
. They immediately executed him by firing squad. His brother Joseph, sister-in-law Annette, and 5-year-old niece Monique witnessed his summary execution, which took place near their home. During his funeral, the people of
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
rallied together, and more than a thousand individuals attended, despite the city still being under occupation. Following the assassination, the Blanvillain family decided to conceal and extract the Israël family from
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
to Sancé until the
Liberation of France The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany in ...
, when they returned to live in
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
.


Memory

Their families remained close. Claude Blanvillain, who welcomed Monique Israël into his home, passed away on August 21, 2017, at the age of 83. Monique Israël herself passed away on January 14, 2023. In recognition of their actions, Léon-Albert and Renée Blanvillain were awarded the title of
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...
in 2005.
Renée Blanvillain Renée (without the accent in non-French speaking countries) is a French feminine given name and surname. Renée is the female form of René, with the extra "e" making it feminine according to French grammar. The name Renée is the French form ...
received the title in person at the age of 94, while her husband Léon-Albert had passed away in 1991. An annual tribute is organized in
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
in front of the commemorative plaque on April 17, the day of the Vel d'Hiv roundup. In 2023, the tribute took place as scheduled. The Protestant church of Mâcon laid a wreath, and the mayor of Mâcon and the prefect of Saône et Loire also laid wreaths to honor the occasion.


Works


Scientifical publications

* Thesis entitled "''Benzene Hemopathies''," 1934. * ''Histological tests of prehypophyseal hyperfunction in certain obese individuals'', Bull. et mém. de la Soc. méd. des hôpitaux de Paris, October 25, 1935 (with Max Aron and A. Jacob). * ''Two cases of refractory urticaria. Treatment with epidermal scarifications and histamine''. Soc. de Méd. du Bas-Rhin, December 21, 1935 (with M. Jacob and A. Meyer). * ''Considerations on the genesis of hyperchlorhydria and its treatment with the combined medication of pantopon, papaverine, and atrinal'', Nutrition, 1936 (with M. Schwartz, MM. Merklen, and M. Jacob). * ''A case of thrombosis of the inferior vena cava. Thrombophlebitis simulating arterial embolisms and venous origin gangrene'' (with M. Fontaine and Sousa Pereira), 1936. * ''Postoperative complications. Blood. Gastric secretion''. Soc. de Méd. du Bas-Rhin, April 1936 (with M. Froehlich). * ''Facial paralysis in chronic nephritis'', Bull. et mém. de la Soc. méd. des hôpitaux de Paris, June 19, 1936. * ''The blood in former gastrectomy patients'', Presse médicale, July 1, 1936 (with F. Froehlich).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Israel, Leon 1906 births 1944 deaths French physicians French Jews who died in the Holocaust Jewish physicians People executed by Vichy France by firing squad People from Mâcon