Suzanne's Children : A Daring Rescue in Nazi Paris

"A story of courage in the face of evil. The tense drama of Suzanne Spaak who risked and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz. This is one of the untold stories of the Holocaust. Suzanne Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married into the country's leading political family. Her brother-in-law was the Foreign Minister and her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter Renée Magritte. In Paris in the late 1930s her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life's purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups "kidnapped" hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. In the final year of the Occupation Suzanne was caught in the Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. She was executed shortly before the liberation of Paris. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among Nations"--;Intro; Dedication; Epigraph; Map of Paris; Dramatis Personae; Chapter 1: Strangers; Chapter 2: The Real War; Chapter 3: Paris by Night; Chapter 4: La Plaque Tournante; Chapter 5: Monsieur Henri; Chapter 6: Spring Wind, Winter Stadium; Chapter 7: The Ragged Network; Chapter 8: Suzanne and Sophie; Chapter 9: The Unimaginable; Chapter 10: La Clairière; Chapter 11: Le Grand Livre; Chapter 12: The Unraveling; Chapter 13: Flight; Chapter 14: All Saints' Day; Chapter 15: The Last Train; Chapter 16: Liberation; Chapter 17: The Aftermath; Photographs; Illustration Credits; Acknowledgments One of the untold stories of the Holocaust—the nail-biting drama of Suzanne Spaak, who risked and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz "vividly dramatizes the stakes of acting morally in a time of brutality" ( The Wall Street Journal ). Suzanne Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married into the country's leading political family. Her brother-in-law was the Foreign Minister and her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter Renée Magritte. In Paris in the late 1930s her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life's purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Then, under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups "kidnapped" hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. Suzanne's Children is the "dogged...page-turning account" ( Kirkus Reviews ) of this incredible story of courage in the face of evil. "Anne Nelson is superb at showing the upheavals in Europe since WWI through vivid, illuminating details...and she also masterfully describes the incremental changes in the Jews' plight under the Occupation" ( Booklist ). It was during the final year of the Occupation when Suzanne was caught in the Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. She was executed shortly before the liberation of Paris. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among Nations. Nelson's "heartfelt story is almost a model for how popular history should be written; it will satisfy lovers of history, Jewish history in particular" ( Library Journal ). This Is One Of The Untold Stories Of The Holocaust. Suzanne Spaak Was Born Into The Belgian Catholic Elite And Married Into The Country's Leading Political Family. Her Brother-in-law Was The Foreign Minister And Her Husband Claude Was A Playwright And Patron Of The Painter Renée Magritte. In Paris In The Late 1930s Her Friendship With A Polish Jewish Refugee Led Her To Her Life's Purpose. When France Fell And The Nazis Occupied Paris, She Joined The Resistance. She Used Her Fortune And Social Status To Enlist Allies Among Wealthy Parisians And Church Groups. Under The Eyes Of The Gestapo, Suzanne And Women From The Jewish And Christian Resistance Groups Kidnapped Hundreds Of Jewish Children To Save Them From The Gas Chambers. In The Final Year Of The Occupation Suzanne Was Caught In The Gestapo Dragnet That Was Pursuing A Soviet Agent She Had Aided. She Was Executed Shortly Before The Liberation Of Paris. Suzanne Spaak Is Honored In Israel As One Of The Righteous Among Nations-- Strangers -- The Real War -- Paris By Night -- La Plaque Tournante -- Monsieur Henri -- Spring Wind, Winter Stadium -- The Ragged Network -- Suzanne And Sophie -- The Unimaginable -- La Clarière -- Le Grand Livre -- The Unraveling -- Flight -- All Saints' Day -- The Last Train -- Liberation -- The Aftermath. Anne Nelson. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 265-303) And Index. “Immersive... Suzanne’s Children vividly dramatizes the stakes of acting morally in a time of brutality.”— The Wall Street Journal A story of courage in the face of evil. The tense drama of Suzanne Spaak who risked and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz. This is one of the untold stories of the Holocaust. Suzanne Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married into the country’s leading political family. Her brother-in-law was the Foreign Minister and her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter Renée Magritte. In Paris in the late 1930s her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life’s purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups “kidnapped” hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. In the final year of the Occupation Suzanne was caught in the Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. She was executed shortly before the liberation of Paris. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among Nations. This is one of the untold stories of the Holocaust: The inspiring story of Suzanne Spaak and her audacious rescue of hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz. Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married to a member of a leading political family. Her brother-in-law was prime minister. Her husband, Claude, was a playwright and patron of struggling artist René Magritte. In the late 1930s in Paris, Suzanne forged a strong friendship with a Polish Jewish exile, Mira Sokol, and found her life's purpose in refugee relief. After France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. This powerful tale offers a rare and too often overlooked account of the Jewish resistance in France and its desperate efforts to alert the world to the Holocaust. Many members were arrested and executed by the police and the Gestapo. Spaak organized the "kidnapping" of Jewish orphans to rescue them from deportation to Auschwitz. In the final year of the occupation, Spaak was trapped in a Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. This is her moving story of heroism and sacrifice. -- From dust jacket "A story of courage in the face of evil. The tense drama of Suzanne Spaak who risked and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz. This is one of the untold stories of the Holocaust. Suzanne Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married into the country's leading political family. Her brother-in-law was the Foreign Minister and her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter Rene��e Magritte. In Paris in the late 1930s her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life's purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups "kidnapped" hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. In the final year of the Occupation Suzanne was caught in the Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. She was executed shortly before the liberation of Paris. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among Nations"-- Provided by publisher "A story of courage in the face of evil. The tense drama of Suzanne Spaak who risked and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation from Nazi Paris to Auschwitz. This is one of the untold stories of the Holocaust. Suzanne Spaak was born into the Belgian Catholic elite and married into the country's leading political family. Her brother-in-law was the Foreign Minister and her husband Claude was a playwright and patron of the painter Renée Magritte. In Paris in the late 1930s her friendship with a Polish Jewish refugee led her to her life's purpose. When France fell and the Nazis occupied Paris, she joined the Resistance. She used her fortune and social status to enlist allies among wealthy Parisians and church groups. Under the eyes of the Gestapo, Suzanne and women from the Jewish and Christian resistance groups "kidnapped" hundreds of Jewish children to save them from the gas chambers. In the final year of the Occupation Suzanne was caught in the Gestapo dragnet that was pursuing a Soviet agent she had aided. She was executed shortly before the liberation of Paris. Suzanne Spaak is honored in Israel as one of the Righteous Among Nations"-- Provided by publisher