Main Characters
Featured Cast Members in “The Children of Chabannes”
The “Children” of Chabannes
Norbert Bikales
Wolfgang (Wolfie) Blumenreich
Jerry Gerard
Peter Gossels
Ruth Keller
Ernst Rosner
The Educators
Ida Jablonski
Georges Loinger
Irene (Reine) Paillassou
Renee Paillassou
Rachel Pludermacher
The Townspeople
Yvonne Labrousse
Andre Lelong
Collette Dony Pascal
The Experts
Rene Castille
Serge Klarsfeld
Jean Michaud
Frederic Pottecher
More on the personalities we filmed
• Félix Chevrier, the Director of the Chateau of Chabannes, a Freemason and member of the French Resistance, who died in 1962. He was brought back to life through his writings and photographs, the memories of his students and colleagues, and poetic re-creations featuring Claude Pasty.
• The Jewish “children” of Chabannes include Jerry Gerard and Wolfgang (Wolfie) Blumenreich, the sole survivors of the 1942 deportation and fourteen concentration camps; Ernest Rosner joined the French Resistance after leaving Chabannes.
• Local teachers, townspeople and students in Chabannes, including village school teachers Irène (Reine) and Renée Paillassou, who were members of the French Resistance.
• OSE personnel/Resistance members including Georges Loinger, 85, the physical education teacher for all the OSE children’s homes in France, who helped 1,000 Jewish children cross the border to safety in Switzerland; Rachel Pludermacher, the first OSE employee, who was in charge of the youngest children in the chateau; Lida Jablonski, secretary to Félix Chevrier and wife of teacher Ernst Jablonski.
• Local Creuse historians René Castille and Jean Michaud, who fought in the French Resistance. Chabannes is in the Creuse region of France.
• Historian and Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld, who with his wife, Beate, has devoted his life to documenting French and German war crimes and bringing Nazis like Klaus Barbie to justice.
• Frédéric Pottecher, an old friend of Félix Chevrier – and his “voice” in the movie. An institution in France, Pottecher was a radio and then television journalist who specialized in covering major criminal trials in France, including those of Vichy officials.