Genie Poretzky-Lee

Genie Poretzky-Lee was born in January 1934 in Danzig, Germany (now Gdańsk). Her father was a successful timber merchant who specialised in high-quality wood such as walnut. Her parents spoke Russian to each other at home, while she spoke German as a child.

In 1939, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Genie’s father moved the family from Danzig to Paris, believing France would be safe because of the Maginot Line. The family settled in an apartment in the 16th arrondissement. Genie attended nursery school there but initially struggled because she did not speak French. After the war began, the family left Paris by car and travelled south to the Lot region in France, settling in the village of Alvignac, which at that time was part of the “Free Zone” of Vichy France. In Alvignac, Genie spent time in the countryside and often went on long walks with the baker’s daughter who was hired to look after her. Her father adapted to village life and helped local farmers where he could.

The family’s situation changed when they were denounced to the Gestapo by a local post office employee. They were arrested and taken to a transit camp called Septfonds. After two or three days, they were placed on a train for deportation. However, before the train reached the border, Jacques Latsha—the son of Jean Latsha, the prefect of the Lot department who knew Genie’s father—ran after the train with a document stating that the family should not be on the transport. Genie, her parents, and her brother were removed from the train while the others remained on board.

After their release, Genie’s father was held in another camp for a short time but later escaped. The family moved between several locations while hiding. They also obtained false identity papers under the name “Poret.” Later they stayed in L’Étrade, a small village where they lived in a local hotel under difficult conditions during the war.

During this period Genie was briefly sent to a convent boarding school but became seriously ill with pneumonia and returned to her parents. At another point in the war, Genie and her younger brother were separated from their parents for safety and stayed for several months with a man known as “Tonton Lucien,” his wife, and their two sons. Genie, who was around seven years old at the time, looked after her brother while they were there.

Near the end of the war the family reunited and lived again in L’Étrade. Genie remembered seeing large numbers of German military trucks passing through the area and later learned that some had been involved in the massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane. When the war ended in 1945, the family returned to their apartment in Paris, which still contained some furniture although many belongings had been taken.

After the war, Genie struggled initially with formal education because of the years she had spent in hiding. She attended a private school in Paris to catch up academically and later enrolled in art school, where she began to receive recognition for her work. Her father resumed his timber business after recovering some of his pre-war property interests, including part of a forest he had previously owned in partnership.

As a young adult, Genie moved to London, where she lived with relatives. She worked in several jobs, including helping in her aunt’s clothing factory and writing about French fashion for a magazine. She later married Gershon, an Israeli pilot who had flown for El Al and they had a daughter. Over time, Genie became involved in artistic work, crafts, and teaching, and she continued to work creatively throughout her life.

Key words: Paluch. Poret. Danzig. Paris. Alvignac. Jean Latsha. L’Étrade.