A Jewish refugee who fled the Nazis with his family from Austria during World War II has bequeathed fortune of over €2million to the French village whose residents hid them from persecution for many Decades.

Eric Schwam arrived Chambon-sur-Lignon with his parents and maternal grandmother in February 1943.

Schwam died aged 90 on December 25, made his decision to make the village the sole beneficiary of his will in 'Gratitude' for the welcome he received from the residents 78 years ago.

'It's a large amount for the village,' Mayor Jean-Michel Eyraud said.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9206961/Jewish-refugee-leaves-two-million-euros-French-village-hid-family-Nazis.html?ito=social-facebook

Schwam and his family arrived in 1943 and were hidden in a school for the duration of the war.

He later studied pharmacy and married a Catholic woman from the region near Lyon, where they lived.

'In his will, Schwam indicates that he made this choice in gratitude for the welcome the inhabitants of Chambon gave him during the war,'

Schwam also wrote that the money be used for Educational and youth initiatives, in particular, scholarships.



Over the centuries the village of Chambon-sur-Lignon has taken in a wide range of people fleeing religious or political persecution.

Around 2,500 Jews were taken in and protected during World War II by the village, whose residents were honoured as 'Righteous Among the Nations' by Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre.

A commemorative plaque of the rescue of Jews during their WWII persecution is affixed on the village school of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9206961/Jewish-refugee-leaves-two-million-euros-French-village-hid-family-Nazis.html?ito=social-facebook

Schwam's father was a doctor, while his mother Malcie created a library in the Rivesaltes camp in 1942, one of the many set up to imprison Jews.

Friedal Reiter, a young Swiss social worker, wrote a diary that contained information about the family's history.

It is thought that Reiter helped the family move to Chambon-sur-Lignon after the Rivesaltes camp closed in November 1942.

Schwam was placed in a children's home run by Secours Suisse, a sub-sector of the Red Cross of Switzerland which helped children during the Second World War.

His mother also worked there.

The entire family survived the war and his parents returned to Austria.

Schwam later studied pharmacy at the University of Leon in 1950 and graduated in 1957.

Chambon-sur-Lignon, located on a remote mountain plateau in southeast France, large Protestant community known for offering shelter to those in need.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9206961/Jewish-refugee-leaves-two-million-euros-French-village-hid-family-Nazis.html?ito=social-facebook

Explorers... My all time favourite Nairalander

Wow....
Mr Nice guy

Explorers pon dere...ride on baba we dey ur back

No good deed is ever forgotten...



And there is always a payback time...may not always be by the persons that enjoy the good deed.


Do good always and never be an ingrate

la explorer La world welcome back bro

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

So touching.

Explorers... My all time favourite Nairalander

Nice one!

This will encourage the village to do more. See money!

Interesting.... and inspiring. Explorers.... keep them coming... two thumbs up!

While the Jews were being tormented in Europe, the ones in Nigeria were tormented by backstabbing goblins and power-hungry envious herdsmen.

Nah eh! No qualms
Jewish people they shaa get moni
And too much sense
Nah why to cashout on them the shaa hard
But if you mistakenly bomb through a Jewish client eh!
Omo nah massive cashout be that
And na en be say you be odogwu
The reward dey massive

Explorer again... Really missed your posts

ThreeEyedRaven:
Explorers... My all time favourite Nairalander

Welite olu

N

Great one!
I learnt two lessons from this story:-

1. Jesus healed 7 lepers, only one came to thank him.
2. The people who saved the man could be dead now, but their children will benefit from the seeds they sowed!

In all, let's learn to be doing good!

The dude is the real developer.. not like my brothers from the yeast

Ok

Good

so much trouble in the world.

meanwhile there are some people who received greater help than this guy but they turned out to be total disaster to their helpers.

If it had been the other brodas of peace na wahala dem for collect

Chai . That war eh 1939 -45 no be small o. Operation overlord was d decisive operation

Umu Chineke, ndi oma

Karlovic:
While the Jews were being tormented in Europe, the ones in Nigeria were tormented by backstabbing goblins and power-hungry envious herdsmen.

You mean the igbos