Names Not Numbers

Rachel Epstein

San Quentin, France

In Hiding

1932

Rachel Epstein

San Quentin, France

1932

Rachel was born on April 29, 1932, in San Quentin, France. Her family later moved to Compiegne, France, where she grew up with her brother, Leon Malmed. Her father ran a children’s clothing store at the market, and her mother worked alongside him. Although they were culturally Jewish, the family was not religious. Rachel remembers having a large, close-knit extended family.

She attended public school until high school.

In July 1942, when the Germans arrived in her town, Rachel’s parents were arrested. Because Rachel and her brother were French Jews, they were not taken at that time, but their parents, who were Russian Jews, were deported. Rachel and Leon were saved by a Christian family, Suzanne and Henri Ribouleau, along with their sons Rene and Marcel.

For five years, from when Rachel was 10 to 15 years old, they hid in the Ribouleau family's home, which was a three-family house. The Ribouleaus risked their lives by harboring the children, as harboring Jews could lead to arrest. Rachel and her brother were the only two Jewish survivors from Compiegne.

Rachel vividly recalls the moment of liberation when American soldiers passed through her town on their way to Paris.

She was particularly struck by seeing an African-American soldier, as she had never seen a person of African descent before.

In 1949, Rachel and her brother were sent to live with their only surviving relatives, an aunt (her father’s sister) and an uncle (her mother’s brother). They had lost 30 family members in Auschwitz. The children didn’t want to go live with their aunt and uncle, as they barely knew them.

After a legal battle, the aunt and uncle won custody. Even then, Rachel and her brother hid to avoid living with them. Eventually, the judge ruled they had to go. Rachel’s uncle had a sister who lived in America, and Rachel was sent to live with her, though her brother could not join her at that time. At 16 or 17 years old, Rachel emigrated to America, even though she couldn’t speak English and didn’t want to leave France.

Soon after arriving in America, Rachel met her future husband. Within two years of arriving, she got married and had a child the following year. It would take 13 years before she could bring her brother to the United States, but she eventually sponsored him and his family to come, where they achieved the American dream.

Today, Rachel speaks at schools, sharing her story and that of her rescuers.

She has been interviewed by Steven Spielberg’s organization, and her testimony is preserved in both Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Memorial archives. She feels it is crucial for as many people as possible to learn about the heroic actions of those who saved her and her brother.

Names Not Numbers

Rachel Epstein

Rachel Epstein

The End