Holocaust Survivor Fears History Could Repeat as She Warns 'We're All Human'
Annick Lever, a Holocaust survivor who endured persecution as a mere infant during the Nazi occupation of France, has voiced profound concerns that history may be repeating itself in today's world. Now 82, she passionately urges younger generations to examine all genocides and remember that "we are all human beings," emphasising the critical need for universal respect.
A Childhood Shattered by Persecution
Ms Lever's life was irrevocably altered before she could even comprehend it. Born in November 1943 in Saujon, south-west France, her mother was Jewish and her father Catholic. At just two months old, she was arrested alongside her mother, aunt, baby cousin, and maternal grandparents. The family was transported to a makeshift prison in the nearby coastal town of La Rochelle.
Her father, Pierre Xavier, a member of the French Resistance, was spared detention after authorities scrutinised his ancestry. Fearing for his family's safety, he contacted a couple who had previously agreed to care for his child in an emergency. With their assistance, he managed to smuggle the infant Annick and her cousin out of the prison.
In a daring act, Mr Xavier later bribed a prison official to leave a door unlocked, enabling his wife and her sister to escape. Tragically, they chose to return, unable to abandon their parents. "It was fate. Little did they know what was ahead of them," Ms Lever recounted.
The Unimaginable Loss
In February 1944, Ms Lever's mother, aunt, and grandparents were transported to the Drancy transit camp before being forced into cattle trucks bound for Auschwitz-Birkenau. None survived the horrors of the Nazi death camp.
Her mother, Lilian Xavier, perished during the journey. Her aunt, Marcelle Guidici, and grandparents, Jacob and Helene Foks, were murdered upon arrival in the gas chambers. "I always say that my mother was just an ordinary person but because she was born Jewish they killed her," Ms Lever stated, her words heavy with the weight of history. "And that for me makes quite an impression especially with what's going on at the moment. I fear it and I feel it."
A Lifelong Warning from an Unlikely Source
Years later, while working as an au pair in Munich for a German family whose parents had been involved in the war, Ms Lever received a chilling admonition. The lady of the house, upon realising Annick was Jewish, told her, "Annick, be careful, because history has a way of repeating itself."
"And to hear that from a German person who was involved in the war, not only a citizen but involved in the war, I must say really marked me," Ms Lever continued. "Sadly enough maybe she's right, because with what's happening nowadays it's very very difficult, really very difficult. I am very frightened right now."
Piecing Together a Painful Past
Raised by Andree Castex, the woman who helped smuggle her to safety and whom she called Mimi, Ms Lever's family history was never fully explained to her. "I never was told by people who really lived it what had happened. I just put two and two together," she said, describing how she gradually assembled the painful puzzle of her past.
She later reconnected with her mother's surviving family in Amsterdam, who helped her understand her Jewish heritage. At age 19, they assisted her in securing a position as an au pair for a Jewish family in Bristol. It was there, during her first visit to a synagogue for the Jewish New Year, that she met the man who would become her husband, Allen. "Fifty-eight years later, we're still married," she shared.
A Clarion Call to Future Generations
Now a mother of two sons and grandmother to five granddaughters, Ms Lever reflects on the enduring legacy of hatred. "Both my sons have married out, my granddaughters are not Jewish, but their fathers are and god knows what will happen in the near future," she expressed with palpable anxiety.
She dedicates herself to speaking in schools, colleges, and Parliamentary events across the UK through the Holocaust Educational Trust, ensuring the atrocities are never forgotten. Aligning with this year's Holocaust Memorial Day theme of bridging generations, she stated, "That's what I do, to talk to the other generation, the one who will be able to carry on. I'm 82 now. How long will I be here for?"
Ms Lever delivers a powerful, timeless message to young people: "Look at all the genocides. Why hate other people like that? I always told those young people when I speak to them, I always say it doesn't matter, the colour of your skin, it doesn't matter what religions you believe in, all you have to remember is that we are all human beings and therefore you have to respect everyone for what we are."
Her story stands as a stark testament to the horrors of intolerance and a poignant plea for a future built on the fundamental recognition of our shared humanity.
