Jeanne Daman, a Roman Catholic schoolteacher in Belgium, was only twenty years old at the onset of World War II. Yet, Daman’s age never factored into the equation – from operating a Jewish school to smuggling Jewish children to engaging in the resistance movement, Daman displayed an unparalleled level of wisdom and bravery that even the most worldly of individuals will fail to achieve in their lifetimes.

Fela Perelman, who led incredible initiatives aimed to save Jewry from the Holocaust, approached Daman with a risky proposition. As Jews were being barred from attending public schools, Perelman asked Daman to join Nos Petits, a private Jewish kindergarten in Brussels.

Daman acquiesced and in a short matter of time, she was serving as Nos Petits’ headmistress. According to Yadvashem.org, “She decided to respond positively to the invitation to join Perelman and assist Jewish children, especially after observing that the Jewish community was becoming increasingly isolated by the acts of discrimination against them.”

However, despite the school’s best efforts, the Jewish students simply were not safe in Brussels – at least, they weren’t safe out in the open. In the face of impending threats from Nazis and harrowing stories of roundups, Nos Petits closed and thus began Daman’s new job. She, along with other teachers, was able to contact generous Belgian families that were willing to hide Jews during the duration of the war. Often, Daman herself would smuggle the children to these homes, thereby putting her own life on the line.

It is estimated that the Daman saved approximately 2,000 children facing deportation. It is important to note that this number fails to take into consideration the adults Daman managed to rescue as well. For example, Daman arranged for a “network” of the children’s mothers to work as housemaids in residences across Belgium.

Toward the end of the war, Daman became actively involved in several different resistance movements. Her tasks included the transportation of arms and delivering intelligence.

In the aftermath of the Holocaust, Daman worked tirelessly to reunite the hidden children with their loved ones. In following years, she regularly visited survivors in Israel. Additionally, Daman went on to become a member of the United Jewish Appeal’s Speakers’ Bureau. And as the years pass by, Daman

In 1971, Daman was named a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. On October 12, 1980, the king of Belgium honored Daman for her selfless endeavors.

In a telling interview, Daman shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that she was compelled to act with strength and bravery upon witnessing the monstrosities that were being inflicted on innocent people. She remarked, “My sense of responsibility became so strong that I would have felt guilty if I had not done what I did.”

Daman said her childhood created the crucial foundation that would later set her on a path to becoming a Righteous Gentile. A self-described compassionate human being, Daman said she saved Jews for “rational,” “moral,” and “emotional” reasons.

Sources:

http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/righteous-women/daman.asp

http://www.jta.org/1972/10/06/archive/former-catholic-teacher-honored-for-saving-2000-jewish-children-from-nazis

http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoarchives/detail.aspx?id=1167798