A Lyon street named after resilience. Rue Sabine et Miron Zlatin. This unassuming street holds a powerful story. It’s a tribute to Sabine and Miron Zlatin. A couple who risked everything to save Jewish children during World War II.
The Zlatins weren’t born in Lyon. They emigrated to France from Eastern Europe. Miron was an agronomist Sabine an artist. They built a life together in France. They became French citizens in 1939. This was just before the war started.
When anti-Jewish laws forced Sabine from her Red Cross job she joined OSE. This was a welfare agency for Jewish children. She helped families in internment camps. She helped transfer orphaned children to safer homes. The situation worsened. The Nazis were deporting children. The Zlatins found refuge in Izieu. This was a village in southeastern France. It was in an Italian controlled zone. Jews were safer there.
In May 1943 the Zlatins established a home for child refugees in Izieu. It was called the Colony for Child Refugees from Hérault. They sheltered 105 children over eleven months. The children were from various European countries. They were given a semblance of normal life. They had schooling arts and crafts playtime. Despite the hardships and dangers the children’s drawings were full of joy and imagination.
Tragedy struck on April 6 1944. The Gestapo raided the home. They arrested 44 children and seven adults. Miron Zlatin was among those arrested. Sabine was away seeking a safer location for the children at the time of the raid. The children and adults were sent to Auschwitz. Most perished. Only one adult survived.
Sabine never forgot. She testified against Klaus Barbie the Butcher of Lyon. She played a crucial role in establishing the Maison d’Izieu memorial. This memorial stands in the former home. It is now a place of remembrance. Rue Sabine et Miron Zlatin stands as a symbol of their courage their compassion and their enduring legacy. A legacy etched forever in the history of Lyon.