Identification tag with name and birthdate issued to a Jewish refugee child

Georges Maringer (b.1941) was born in L'Isle Jourdain, France, to Jewish parents Simon (1913-1995) and Irene (nee Leiserovits, 1913-2003) Maringer. Simon was born to Polish parents in Cologne, Germany, where he attended primary and secondary school. He then attended the University of Basel in Switzerland, and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Zurich, which he completed in 1936. That same year, he moved to Antwerp, Belgium, and began attending medical courses at the University of Brussels. In Belgium, he met and married Irene, who was born in Hungary, and moved to Belgium in 1926. In September 1939, in accordance with the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact, Germany and Russia invaded Poland. In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany. In May 1940, Germany invaded Belgium and the authorities immediately instituted anti-Jewish laws and restrictions, leading Simon and Irene to flee to Paris, France. Because Simon's parents were Polish, he was briefly conscripted into the Polish army. Irene was interned as an “enemy alien” at Argelés-sur-Mer concentration camp on the southern coast of France, near the Spanish border. Simon was released after five weeks, and traveled to Toulouse, where he learned of Irene’s imprisonment. He was able to get Irene released in August 1940, and they returned to Toulouse. On December 1, 1941, Irene gave birth to their son, Georges, in L'Isle Jourdain, just outside of the city. Simon and Irene briefly rented a farm, but they continued to move around because of their fear of arrest and deportation. They moved to Annecy in eastern France, where they found Irene’s sister and brother-in-law, and later moved to Annemasse, near the Swiss border. Although Switzerland had a tradition of wartime neutrality and helping refugees, the threat of a German invasion led them to limit the number of foreigners it allowed into the country, put refugees in camps, and prohibited those coming from France. On September 11, 1942, the family illegally crossed the border into Switzerland. With the help of a local farmer, they arrived in Lausanne the following day. They went to the Homee de l'Armée du Salut, where they reported themselves to the police. Simon then spent a week at Gueissaz before returning to Lausanne to stay in a private home. In November 1942, the family was transferred to Les Avants refugee camp in Montreux. While in the camp, Simon worked as an assistant doctor until the end of March 1943. Simon was transferred to multiple camps, where he worked as a doctor, including Granges-Lens, Vicosoprano, and Brissago. Irene remained as Les Avants until August 1943, when she was transferred to the Tivoli refugee home in Lucerne. At that same time, Georges was placed under the care of Margaret Locher, who ran a home near Zurich named “Rebhaus” for Jewish children whose parents were in internment or refugee camps. In 1944, Irene was able to join Simon briefly at Brissago until May, when the Swiss authorities gave him permission to move to Basel and complete his medical education. Beginning in June 1944, Irene spent two months working for Margaret Locher at the children’s home where Georges was living, and then entered domestic service for a private household in Zurich. In March 1945, she began a course in therapeutic massage. Two months later, on May 17, Germany surrendered to the Allies, ending the war. Irene completed her course in September 1945, and then she moved to Basel. There, she reunited with Simon and began a new course at the ORT headquarters. In November 1945, Georges was able to leave the children’s home and join his parents in Basel. In the winter of 1945 to 1946, Simon passed his medical exams, and began an internship in the spring. By September 1946, he was employed at the Jewish Hospital in Basel, where he worked until the family was able to immigrate to the United States. Georges and his parents sailed from Cherbourg France to the US on June 9, 1948. His name was changed to George, and he became a naturalized American citizen.

Margaret Locher lived in Zurich, Switzerland. In March 1943, she left her home in Zurich and moved temporarily to the city of Lugano, near the Italian border. On April 20, she began fostering the children of Tonia Lechtmann, a friend she had met while visiting a children’s home in Limoges, France. In June, Margaret was able to secure Tonia’s release from Les Avants camp to join the children. On July 1, she opened a home named “Rebhaus” in Küsnacht, near Zurich, for Jewish children whose parents were in internment or refugee camps. After a couple of weeks, Tonia and her children joined her at the Rebhaus. In addition to the Lechtmann children, Margaret adopted an orphan from France, and fostered three other children. In April 1944, Margaret and Tonia were caring for seven children. Tonia left to take a course in Zurich, and in June, Margaret was able to hire Irene Maringer, the mother of another of her charges. Irene worked for Margaret for two months, and her son, Georges, stayed in the home until November 1945. Following the end of the war, the remaining children returned to the parents after they had reestablished themselves. Tonia’s children stayed with Margaret until the winter of 1947.

The name tag was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2008 by Vera Lechtman.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Vera Lechtman