We Christians claim to be spiritual children of the patriarch Abraham. This should be enough reason to exclude any kind of anti-Semitism whatsoever, anti-Semitism being an ideology which we Christians cannot in any way share and be part of.- Père Marie-Benoît
Unit 1012
will honor and always remember Père Marie-Benoît, every year
on February 5, as he passed away on that date in 1990. We do not remember him
only on his feast day but also on his birthday on March 30. We will remember
and honor him for saving thousands of Jews during the Holocaust and he
rightfully deserves to be recognized by the State of Israel as Righteous among the Nations.
His story should be an inspiration for us to support victims’ rights and
defend the use of the death penalty by speaking out against evil and saving
lives. We also learn to take a Christian approach in doing the right thing by
helping those who suffer injustice. We will post information about him from Wikipedia
and other links.
 |
Père Marie-Benoît |
Born
|
3 March
1895
Bourg d'Iré, France |
Died
|
5
February 1990 (aged 94)
|
Other names
|
Pierre
Péteul
|
Church
|
Roman
Catholic Church
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin |
Père Marie-Benoît (Anglicized, Father
Mary Benedict; in Italian, known as Padre Maria Benedetto; 30 March
1895 – 5 February 1990), born Pierre Péteul, was a Capuchin Franciscan
friar who helped smuggle approximately 4,000 Jews into safety from Nazi-occupied
Southern France. On 1 December 1966, he was honored with the Medal of the
Righteous among the Nations for his courage and self-sacrifice. His actions to
save Jews during the Holocaust were the reason for his epithet Father of the
Jews (French: Père des juifs).
Life
before World War II
Actions in
wartime
In Marseilles
In Nice
In Rome
Recognition
When Rome was liberated in June 1944,
the Jewish community—led by Rabbi Israel Zoller—held an official synagogue
ceremony in honor of Father Benoît, "shower[ing] him with praise."
Years later, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson delivered a speech in which he said
that Father Benoît's "wonderful actions" should "inspire the
American people in the protection and preservation of the rights of citizens,
irrespective of race, color or religion."
On 1 December 1966, Yad Vashem
officially recognized Father Benoit as a Righteous Among the Nations. Overall, he
helped thousands of Jews to reach Switzerland and Spain from the South of
France, or escape by other means. Even being pursued by the Gestapo, he escaped
to Rome, where he continued his efforts for the Jews.
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