Rescuing the Children is the memoir of Vivette Samuel, who at age twenty-two began working for the Œuvre de secours aux enfants (OSE, or Society for Assistance to Children). The OSE and similar organizations saved 86 percent of Jewish children in France from deportation to Nazi concentration and extermination camps.
Illustrations Foreword: Rescue the Children—but the Others? A Reminiscence Introduction 1 Odessa to Paris 2 War, Exodus, and Occupation 3 To Be Committed at the Age of Twenty 4 Rivesaltes: Behind the Barbed Wire 5 At the Time of the Deportations 6 The Hunt for the Children 7 Going Underground 8 Coming Out of the War 9 Fifty Years Later 10 Children's Odysseys Appendix 1: What Happened to Them? Appendix 2: Some Numbers Appendix 3: Chronology Acronyms and Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index
Vivette Samuel had a long career in social work and lived in Paris, France. Charles B. Paul, a historian, is professor emeritus in the humanities department at San José State University. He was among the children rescued by the OSE.