The Story of Willy Halpert
Willy Halpert was born in France in 1933 and now lives in Canada. Willy’s parents were murdered by the Nazis; he and his three sisters survived the war as hidden children.
Willy saw his father arrested on a street in Belgium because he was Jewish. Thanks to his dad’s quick thinking, Willy’s life was saved by a member of the Belgian Resistance. Willy was traumatised, given a new name and told not to tell anyone that he was Jewish otherwise he too would have been arrested and murdered.
Willy had no idea what had happened to his family who were hard-working people owning a shop selling materials and fabrics
After the war Willy was reunited with his three sisters, and when he was 14 years old they were sent to Australia as refugee orphans. Willy learnt English very quickly and studied Engineering at University. He then moved to Israel where he established the scuba-diving industry.
Willy’s recorded testimony is underpinned by family photos, Belgian and Nazi documentation and photos of Willy retracing where he was hidden. Willy met a member of the Belgian Resistance who was a key part of the team who saved his life.
Willy had a large loving family that was torn apart by the Nazis and Belgian collaborators. Nearly all of his family were murdered. Today Willy has a new family. Willy is grateful to the generous, kind and courageous rescuers who risked their own lives, and their freedom, to save Jewish children.
Willy knows from his experience as a hidden child that each person’s decisions can make a big difference. Willy said that he was lucky that there were good people who made decisions to save his life. These amazing people found themselves in impossible situations but found the inner strength to put others before themselves.
Presented by Melvyn Leach
Melvyn held senior management roles in secondary, adult & community education and local government; he is a trustee and committee member of Holocaust Learning UK and works as an Associate Hospital Manager for the NHS
Melvyn tells the story of a family member, Willy Halpert, who was a hidden child. Willy never spoke about his past and forced himself to forget terrible memories. With Melvyn’s help they visited and researched archives in Belgium and the places Willy was hidden to help him remember his story.
Willy tells his story to schools and adult groups overseas; he wants Melvyn to make his story known in the UK.
Watch an excerpt from the story of Willy Halpert
