Denise Vernay-Jacob | |
|---|---|
 Denise Jacob, c. 1944 | |
| Born | Denise Jacob 21 June 1924 |
| Died | 4 March 2013 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | French |
| Other names | Miarka or Annie |
| Years active | 1941–1944 |
| Known for | French Resistance courier |
| Spouse |
Alain Vernay (m. 1947) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | André Jacob Yvonne Steinmetz |
| Relatives | Simone Veil (sister) |
| Awards | Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur Grand'croix de l'ordre national du Mérite Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 avec palms Médaille de la Résistance avec rosette |
Denise Vernay-Jacob (21 June 1924 – 4 March 2013) was a member of the French Resistance during World War II, who operated under the aliases of "Miarka" and "Annie" from 1941. She narrowly avoided the March 1944 roundup of Jews in Nice, France which resulted in the deportation of her parents to Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland. Captured less than three months later, she survived torture by the Gestapo and imprisonment at two Nazi concentration camps – Ravensbrück and Mauthausen. She was rescued by the Red Cross in April 1945 and returned home to France at the conclusion of the war.[1]
Although her sisters, Madeleine and Simone, survived imprisonment elsewhere, their parents and brother did not.[2][3] Vernay-Jacob helped to establish the Fondation de la Résistance to provide support to survivors of the war and honor the memories of those who had perished – efforts which she continued to support throughout her life.[4] Her sister Simone Veil became the first president of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah.[5] Vernay-Jacob was honored with multiple awards for her valor.[6]
- ^ "Denise Vernay-Jacob". Paris, France: Fondation de la Résistance, retrieved online April 21, 2018.
- ^ Langer, Emily. "Simone Veil, French Holocaust survivor and stateswoman, dies at 89." Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post, June 30, 2017.
- ^ "Denise Vernay Testifies" (extract from her Franc-Tireur testimony, 23 August 1946), in "Histoire." Bordeaux, France: "Anonymes, Justes et Persécutés durant la période Nazie dans les communes de France" ("Anonymous, Righteous and Persecuted during the Nazi period in the communes of France"), April 27, 2013.
- ^ Denise Vernay-Jacob, Fondation de la Résistance.
- ^ Simone Veil, Ex-Minister Who Wrote France's Abortion Law, Dies at 89". New York, New York: The New York Times: June 30, 2017.
- ^ Langer, Simone Veil obituary, The Washington Post.