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Simon was born on December 25, 1929, in Paris. His parents, Samuel and Sonia, were Jewish emigrants from Poland. Simon had two siblings: an older sister, Alice, born in February 1928, and a younger brother, Michel, born on April 4, 1937.
In July 1942, Jews throughout France were being rounded up and sent to camps. Simon’s family narrowly escaped one of these roundups by hiding with their non-Jewish housekeeper.
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His parents were later put in touch with a compassionate Christian couple, the Bonneaus, who connected them to an underground network designed to save Jewish children. As a result, Simon and his two siblings were sent into hiding in different locations in the Normandy countryside.
Simon spent two years in Normandy, living with the Geslin family—referred to as Papa and Maman Geslins.
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Posing as a Catholic, he worked as a farmhand and moved frequently to avoid detection. In 1943, a schoolmaster gave him watercolors and a sketchpad, providing him with a form of spiritual resistance during this difficult time. Simon shared his sleeping area with Madame Prim, who suffered from arthritis and needed assistance getting in and out of bed.
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The living conditions were humble: dirt floors, no electricity, and slate tiles near the fireplace were used for cooking. Pictures of saints adorned the mantel and fireplace. The room was shared with two other younger children who were also in hiding. On August 6, 1944, Simon and the area were liberated. He returned to Paris in May 1945.
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Upon returning to Paris, Simon discovered that his parents had been arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where they were murdered. He was eventually reunited with both of his siblings. After the war, Simon was placed in a series of homes for Jewish orphans. In these homes, he decorated the walls with Hebrew songs and artwork.
In 1949, Simon immigrated to America. He became a package designer and book illustrator.
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He later married Cecile Jeruchim, a fellow child survivor of the Holocaust. Together, they had two daughters and six grandchildren. Simon wrote two memoirs: one about his life as a "Hidden Child" during the Holocaust and another titled Frenchy, which chronicles his coming of age as a new immigrant and his journey as an American GI serving on the front lines in the Korean War.
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Simon Jeruchim interview at The Moriah School - 2023-2024
The Moriah School
