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Georges Loinger

Discussion in 'WWII Obituaries' started by kerrd5, Jan 2, 2019.

  1. kerrd5

    kerrd5 Ace

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    "It had all started as a game. During World War II, when hundreds of Jewish children were hidden at chateaus in the French countryside, kept out of sight from the nation’s Nazi occupiers and Vichy collaborators, Georges Loinger entertained them with calisthenics, soccer matches and ball games.

    "Tall and athletic, Mr. Loinger was a Jewish engineer turned physical-education teacher, whose blond hair and blue eyes helped him “pass” as a non-Jew while he traveled across France, secretly visiting the chateaus and other makeshift refugee centers to keep his young wards healthy with exercise.

    "But as anti-Semitic legislation gave way to mass deportations and murder, his exercise routines turned into a morbid form of training, preparation for the day in which Mr. Loinger would, if everything went smoothly, smuggle the children across the border into neutral Switzerland. As a grim backup, it was also preparation in case the children were discovered and sent to a concentration camp."

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...rk-9algfJzjBVGjFVtygYo&utm_term=.43c848318587


    Dave
     
    TD-Tommy776 and GRW like this.

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