Righteous Among the Nations
A duty of memory
On April 5, at the Villa Massena, was held the posthumously presentation ceremony by Barnea Hassid, Consul General State of Israel in Marseille, of the medal and diploma of the Righteous Among the Nations to Eleanor and Francis Giribone, represented by their children, Claude and Sylvain Giribone. In the presence of Mr. Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Metropolis Nice Côte d'Azur, Daniel Wancier, Chairman of Yad Vashem Committee for Nice, Eleanor and Francis Giribone have been honored for saving during autumn 1943, two Jewish families: the couple Mayer, their daughter Suzanne and the Levy family. Traders, the Giribones, moved by the misfortune of their neighbors, have been hiding for several months in their warehouse, located on rue Saint-Philippe in Nice, Irene and Daniel Mayer but also Melanie, Daniel Levy and their daughter Martha. It is their quiet and unobtrusive heroism that characterized this two Niçois' admirable conduct, now extinct, which justifies that they receive posthumously the title of "Righteous Among the Nations" from the Israel Consul General in Marseille, Barnea Hassid for the Nice Yad Vashem Committee. During his speech, Mr. Estrosi recalled the tragic circumstances the Jews lived during raids on 8 September 1943 in the Nice area, organized by the worst technician in this field, the Nazi Alois Brunner, and speaking of the couple Giribone: "They did it because they fear for themselves and for their children because, as Elie Wiesel has recently pointed, as a result of the tragedy of Toulouse "Those who want the disappearance of the Jewish people always lay into their children. All six had survived thanks to the Giribone family and their simple, spontaneous, humanistic gesture. The first found their little Suzanne and after an incredible journey, managed to flee to Switzerland and the second found an unexpected and safer refuge in Lavaur, in the Occitan country; then the war ended, the Mayer and Levy resumed their life. Suzanne Levy Mayer and Martha were married. Suzanne moved to the United States. After a course elsewhere in France, Martha moved back to Nice. The Medal of the Righteous is awarded by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem to non-Jews who, risking their lives, saved people or Jewish families during the German occupation. The title of Righteous Among the Nations is awarded on the basis of testimonies of saved people or eyewitnesses and reliable documents. The fact of having sought no reward or material compensation in return for the assistance is critical to receive this award.
