Born into a Jewish family in Nîmes in 1943, Gérard and Georges Kupfer lived the first year of their lives in hiding to escape the anti-Semitism of the Vichy regime. Now 80 years old, they tell their story.
Gérard and Georges are identical twins. From their mother’s womb to their current residences in Nîmes, the Kupfer brothers almost never lived far from each other. 80 years of living together, marked in the cradle by the persecution of Jews under the Vichy regime.
Of Polish Jewish refugee parents
In his house in Nîmes, Gérard has carefully arranged the family photos as in a small sanctuary. “I would first like to talk about my parents, to pay homage to them”, he declares, while seeking the approval of his brother Jean, five years his junior. The latter, the youngest of a family of five children, is also “the memory of the family”. For the occasion, he was busy writing a double page, soberly titled “Story”, retracing part of the family history during the Second World War.
The Kupfer brothers when they were 4 years old with their parents and their sister Jacqueline. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET
Originally from Poland, their parents, Abraham and Chana, arrived in France between 1936 and 1937. After initially settling in Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), they settled in Nîmes between 6 rue de la Maison Carrée, their home, and 28 rue Nationale, their clothing business.
“Has subscribed in the Gard the declaration provided for by the law of 2/6/1941”, indicates a second document scanned by Gérard. From 1940, the couple suffered the brunt of the anti-Semitic laws of the Vichy regime, including the obligation to register as “Jews”. It is in this context that Gérard and Georges were born.
“My brother has difficulty speaking, but I would like us to join him at his home, it’s also his life”, explains Gérard. In order to know the rest of the story, you have to go through the hedge separating the houses of the two brothers. A secret passage, created during more than 50 years of neighborhood.
Declaration form for the “Jewish status” of the parents and sister of Gérard and Georges Kupfer, under the Vichy regime.
Birth under Vichy
Sitting side by side and dressed in the same way, without having done it on purpose, the two brothers are like the mirror of each other.
In order to be able to continue working, their mother entrusts them to a nanny living in Saint-Césaire. A chance for the family who, warned that a raid was going to take place a few weeks later, had to flee the city. For a year, the parents will be protected by a certain Mr. Danis, a shoemaker in the rue Nationale, then with friends of the latter, in Haute-Loire. “Monsieur Danis could have been recognized as Righteous”, declares Gérard, “But not our nanny who collected our ration tickets to buy alcohol and tobacco”, specifies Georges.
Then in September 1944, comes the Liberation. End of the Vichy regime for France, end of a childhood in captivity for the twins. Their father took them back in September of this year and the family resumed their commercial activities. “10 years later, I was still having nightmares where we had to hide from the Germans”, recalls Georges.
Throughout their story, the two brothers insist with pride on their family heritage: “We were educated in the love of France, after taking over the business from our parents, we have always been well received in Nîmes”, concludes Gérard.
From the Kupfer brothers to the Vendôme brothers
Miss Vendôme, Mister, Les Cuirs de Mister, Les Jeunes de Mister, Les Caves de Mister, Les Cocktails… At the rate of one opening per year, Gérard and Georges Kupfer opened nearly eleven stores in the 1970s, in Nîmes. “We started calling ourselves the Vendôme brothers,” laughs Gérard. From fashion to perfumes and champagne, they set up shop in the Écusson, on both sides of rue de la Madeleine and rue du Chapitre.
Building on the success of their businesses, they became ubiquitous in Nîmes. At Aquatropic to organize fashion shows with Miss France. On the football pitch as sponsors of Nîmes Olympique, when the club played in the first division. In Paris to receive from the hand of the Minister of Commerce, a Mercure d’or, a reward given to the most dynamic French merchants. And especially in Nîmes where they receive the medal of the City.
From the Kupfer brothers to the Vendôme brothers, the twins are true witnesses to the history of Nîmes.
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