Rachel's Story and Full Video Testimony
Rachel Epstein was born in 1932 in Saint-Quentin, in the north of France. When the war broke out, her father, a professional dressmaker, joined the French army to fight against the Germans. In 1940, following the armistice, the family relocated to Compiègne, where Rachel and her younger brother Léon would remain for the duration of the war.
On July 19, 1942, Rachel’s parents were arrested and taken to Drancy. After a week, they were deported to Auschwitz, where they were murdered.
Throughout the war, Rachel and her brother survived thanks to the courage and humanity of a neighboring family, who took them in and cared for them as their own. In recognition of this extraordinary act, Rachel and Léon later ensured that their rescuers were honored as Righteous Among the Nations.
After the war, Rachel was sent to the United States to live with an aunt. Her brother joined her a few years later. It was there, at just 17 years old, that she met her future husband, Isidor—Izzy—with whom she would go on to build her life.
Today, Rachel’s story stands as a testament not only to loss, but to the power of human kindness in the face of unimaginable darkness—and to the lives rebuilt in its aftermath.
