Yvette Henriette Lévy (; born 21 June 1926) is a French educator and survivor of the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. In July 1944, she was arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

and was eventually sent to

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

. She survived and now educates youths about her experiences. Lévy is a Commander of the National Order of Merit and Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Early life

Yvette Henriette Dreyfuss was born on 21 June 1926 in the 11th arrondissement of Paris to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents. She grew up with her two brothers in

Noisy-le-Sec Noisy-le-Sec () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Heraldry Transport Noisy-le-Sec is served by Noisy-le-Sec station on Paris RER line E. Education Schools:< ...

. At a young age, Lévy participated as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

in the ''

Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de France The Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs israélites de France (EEIF, ''Jewish Guides and Scouts of France'') is a Jewish Scouting and Guiding organization in France. It was founded in 1923 and serves about 4,000 members. The EEIF is a member of the Fé ...

'' (EIF). Following the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

bombing of Noisy-le-Sec, the family moved back to Paris, where Lévy stayed at an orphanage. At 16 years old, she worked for the ''

Union générale des israélites de France The General Union of French Israelites (, UGIF) was a body created by the antisemitic French politician Xavier Vallat under the Vichy regime after the Fall of France in World War II. UGIF was created by decree on 29 November 1941 followin ...

'' (UGIF, General Organization of Jews in France), where she took in Jewish children whose parents were deported as a result of the German invasion of France and the subsequent

Vel' d'Hiv Roundup The Vel' d'Hiv' Roundup ( ; from , an abbreviation of ) was a mass arrest of Jews in Paris on 16–17 July 1942 by Vichy French police at the behest of the German occupational authorities. Occurring during World War II, Jews arrested during ...

Arrest

On the night of 21 July 1944, Lévy was arrested by the

for her involvement with the UGIF. She and 33 other girls were sent to

Drancy internment camp Drancy internment camp () was an assembly and detention camp for confining Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps during the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, German occupation of France duri ...

. Ten days later, Lévy, along with 1321 other prisoners, was sent from

Drancy Drancy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in northern France. It is located 10.8 km (6.7 mi) from the center of Paris. History Toponymy The name Drancy comes from Medieval Lati ...

Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

on convoy 77. From Auschwitz, she was sent to work at the Kratzau ammunition factory in modern-day

Chrastava Chrastava (; ) is a town in Liberec District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Chrastava consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Post-war

After her liberation in May 1945, Lévy returned to her parents and two brothers in Noisy-le-Sec, despite the Gestapo explicitly telling her that they died in a bombing. She then married Robert Lévy, a Jewish

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

, and had a daughter named Martine. In 2009, Lévy signed a petition in support of film director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. Lévy spends her time going to schools and events to educate students about the Holocaust. Since her release, she has returned to Auschwitz over two hundred times with students, teaching them about her experiences at the camp. Lévy spoke at the ceremony remembering the 70th anniversary of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup. She is a member of the '' Fédération nationale des déportés et internés résistants et patriotes'' (FNDIRP).

Awards

On 10 May 1995, Lévy was named a Knight of the National Order of Merit. Her rank was upgraded to that of an Officer on 14 November 2005. Lévy became a Commander on 15 November 2018, and received her insignia at a ceremony on 30 April 2019, from Minister of National Education

Jean-Michel Blanquer Jean-Michel Blanquer (; born 4 December 1964) is a French jurist and government official serving as Minister of National Education under Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex from 2017 to 2022. Education and early career Born in t ...

. Lévy is also a recipient of the

; receiving the honour on 2 April 1999, and becoming an Officer on 31 December 2010. She has also been awarded the ''Médailles des Anciens Combattants'',

Medal of the Nation's Gratitude The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude () is a French state decoration established on 12 April 2002 by decree 2002-511 and awarded to civilians, veterans of civil or military service, and to members of the French armed forces previously awarded the ...

, and

Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant The Cross of the Resistance Volunteer Combatant () is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in one of the resistance groups, or who were deported or interned for acts of resistance, or who were killed or injur ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Yvette Living people 1926 births Educators from Paris Auschwitz concentration camp survivors Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Officers of the Legion of Honour