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| Man leaves €2m to French village that hid his family from Nazis |
| 2021-01-31 |
| [Guardian] An Austrian man who fled the Nazis with his family during the second world war has bequeathed a large part of his fortune to the French village whose residents hid them from persecution for years. Eric Schwam, who died aged 90 on 25 December, wrote the surprise gift into his will for Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, located on a remote mountain plateau in south-east France that historically has a large Protestant community known for offering shelter to those in need. "It’s a large amount for the village," the mayor, Jean-Michel Eyraud, said. He declined to specify the amount since the will was still being sorted out, but his predecessor, who told a local website that she met Schwam and his wife twice to discuss the gift, said it was about €2m (£1.8m). Schwam and his family arrived in 1943 and were hidden in a school for the duration of the war, and remained until 1950. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #3 As always, thanks for your insights EC. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2021-01-31 22:13 |
| #2 That’s truly wonderful, European Conservative. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2021-01-31 21:35 |
| #1 His family was not the only one saved in this village. In 1990 the town was one of two collectively honored as the Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in Israel for saving Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. The other awardee was the Dutch village of Nieuwlande. |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2021-01-31 18:39 |