Denise's Story and Full Video Testimony
Denise was born on June 21, 1938, in Paris, France, the fourth of six children. In 1942, when Denise was just four years old, she remembers that her father, aunt, and uncle were taken from their home by the Nazis and deported to Auschwitz.
In an act of desperate courage, Denise’s mother arranged for her six children and two nieces to be hidden. Denise was sent to live on a farm, then with other families, and ultimately found refuge in a convent and monastery. She and two of her sisters remained hidden in the convent until 1948, when they were finally reunited with their mother and siblings in Paris.
After the war, Denise resumed her education, completing high school in France. In 1956, she immigrated to Montreal, Canada, where she began building a new life. In 1959, she married Milan, a fellow hidden child survivor from Czechoslovakia. Together, they built a life rooted in resilience and renewal, raising three children and eventually moving to Toronto in 1979.
Today, Denise is the proud grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of three. Her life stands as a testimony to the enduring strength of the human spirit and the quiet bravery of those who risked everything to protect the innocent.
