by Sophie Leclanché in ‘La Montagne’
Below is an article reports on Suzanne Berliner Weiss’s discussions in 2017 with high-school students in Clermont-Ferrand, capital of the French region of Auvergne. For a fuller account of her visit and discussions, see Chapter 31 of her book ‘Holocaust to Resistance: My Journey’ (pp. 285-295). The book can be purchase from Fernwood Publishers. The text by Sophie Leclanché is translated from French by John Riddell.
Suzanne Berliner Weiss came to Auvergne to speak of all those who protected her when she was a young Jewish child and to thank them collectively.
Her repeated visits to Auvergne do not aim merely at identifying names and locations. It’s also to say “thanks”. Thanks to the people of Auvergne as a whole and also in particular to those who enabled her to survive and flourish. Suzanne was a hidden Jewish child somewhere in France, probably in Auvergne. Suzanne will recount what she has experienced to high-school and college students in Clermont-Ferrand.
Her aim lies not so much in revealing facts buried in her memory but in underlining the importance of “acting in the same spirit as the Auvergnats.” As a survivor, she identifies these essential qualities as “solidarity, generosity and love,” speaking in a French that sparkles more than it hesitates. Cautious and respectful, Suzanne does not presume to talk of French politics. But as a left-wing activist, she stresses the need, everywhere and always, to “address the challenges that we face.”
As an American who became a Canadian, Suzanne rejected France for 40 years. Her companion, John Riddell, explains that she saw it as the “country of destruction.” He thus had to make his own quiet inquiries about Jewish children hidden in orphanages during the war, wondering “what the celebrated Maigret would do in my shoes.”
The quest was partially successful. And Suzanne, who finally agreed to set foot in France once again, found the Buchner family, which had taken charge of her when her parents disappeared. The path led to Auvergne – without any details. In terms of historical understanding, it was only a small step forward, but for Suzanne, who had “spent decades seeking to define her identity,” it was a great advance.
Today, Suzanne tells us that “all my life I have been a resister, someone who sought to save the world.” She focuses her engagement on the issue of climate, where inaction poses a threat to all humanity.
Yesterday, she met with Julien Bouchet, author of a volume on the Justes of Auvergne, exchanged ideas with students at the Collège Blaise Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, and attended the award of a prize of the Councours national de la Résistance. Today she met with students of the Institut Sainte-Thérèse-des-Cordeliers in Montferrand and, in Clermont, with students of the Saint-Alyre and Jeanne-d’Arc colleges.
Then Suzanne will set out again on her quest, without too much hope of discovering the refuge that shielded her during a dark time. But she cherishes the joy of “breathing the good air of Cantal,” which touches the heart of the forgotten and unknown child within her.