Not many of us are recognised for “outstanding services rendered to…[our]…nation”, but that was the accolade given to Cape Town’s Hélène Joffé by the Ambassador of France to South Africa, His Excellency Mr David Martinon, during a recent event held at the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre.
The award, the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur – the highest decoration in France, and similar to an Order of the British Empire – recognises Hélène’s contribution to furthering the French language, as well as the role her family played in the liberation of France from Nazi occupation during the 1940s.
Hélène, a child survivor of the Holocaust, dedicated the award to her sister and brothers, explaining, “I owe it to my brave siblings. They gave up their youth to fight for the liberation of our country as members of the French Resistance.”
Hélène herself has made a huge contribution to both France and her adopted country, South Africa, having spent a lifetime in the promotion of the French language here. Her many years as a French language teacher at various schools in Cape Town are testimony to this – and earned her the fond nickname, ‘Madame Joffé’.
Hélène joins an illustrious group of South Africans that includes well-known figures such as Miriam Makeba, André Brink and Desmond Tutu. Another Jewish Capetonian who has received the award is Helen Lieberman, founder of Ikamva Labantu, and this was featured in the Cape Jewish Chronicle in June 2017.
Read more about Hélène’s life story in our September edition: https://cjc.org.za/2024/09/01/tumultuous-events-of-the-20th-century-a-family-story/
Article below from the Cape Jewish Chronicle, June 2017:
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