Fear was a way of life Continued from page 13 15 · Friday, November 9, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com managed it. "Two days after, we had to pack everything and flee again," said Gelbard whose father believed the south of France would be safe as the Nazis had only occupied the north, setting up the puppet Vichy government in the south and allowing the French there to run their own affairs. They soon found the Vichy government was all too eager to help the Germans eliminate Jews. "One day at 5 a.m., there was a big bang on the door. The police were here and they told us to get dressed," said Gelbard. "We were put in a big, open truck and taken to a holding camp." Again Gelbard's mother somehow succeeded in getting Gelbard, herself and much of the family released, but not Gelbard's father. As Nazi and Vichy efforts to find and deport Jews continued, it soon became necessary for the family to separate. Gelbard's mother found a children's home in the village of Moissac that was secretly housing Jewish children whose parents had been deported to concentration camps. Gelbard and her baby brother were left there while her mother and older sister went into hiding. Gelbard said the directors at the home cared for the children and kept them out of the reach of the Nazis. "Whenever there was a roundup, the mayor of the city sent a note to the directors saying, `Go camping with your children,'" said Gelbard. Gelbard said they would not camp in the same place for more than a night. Gelbard had her own close calls. One day on an outing to a store, a German soldier asked her name. When she told him it was Edith, the soldier commented it was a German name. Despite her fear Gelbard blurted out that a famous French singer was named Edith Piaf at which point the soldier smiled and walked away. "He knew very well I was not French because I still had my Austrian accent," said Gelbard. "I still get shivers when I think about that. It could have been really bad." With the end of the war, Gelbard was reunited with her brother, sister and her mother. Tragically, she soon learned her father had survived to be liberated from a concentration camp, but died when well-meaning American soldiers gave him too much food too quickly, sending his malnourished body into shock. To this day, Gelbard said she is deeply grateful to those brave people who risked their own lives to help her and so many others.