A red lantern covered in silk served as the primary tool to halt the twentieth deportation train bound for Auschwitz on April 19, 1943. Robert Maistriau, alongside two other resistance members, utilized this signal to stop the transport in the dark, facilitating the escape of individuals held within the wagons during a high-stakes nighttime operation.
Background and Education
Born in 1921 in Ixelles, Robert Maistriau was the son of a military doctor. He began his medical studies at the Free University of Brussels in 1939 at the age of 18. By 1943, at 22, he committed himself to the resistance efforts through the Comité de Défense des Juifs.
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The intervention involved stopping the train at approximately 9:30 PM. Maistriau and his accomplices, Jean Franklemon and Youra Livchitz, used a red-lit lantern to force a stop. While one member held the driver at gunpoint, Maistriau successfully unlocked a wagon. Seventeen of those who jumped escaped as a direct result of the assistance provided by the underground group. This event stands as the only successful attack on a Jewish deportation train across Europe.
Recognition and Later Years
A commemorative ceremony occurred at the site of the operation in 1993, attended by representatives of the Jewish community and the Belgian monarch. Following a request from Radio Judaica, Yad Vashem awarded Maistriau the status of Righteous Among the Nations on August 31, 1994. In 2005, the Free University of Brussels conferred an honorary degree upon him. Additionally, his hometown of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert granted him honorary citizenship and dedicated a public garden in his name. Maistriau died in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert in 2008 at the age of 87.
Fast facts
- Born: 1921, Ixelles
- Died: 2008, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
- Citizenship: Belgium
- Occupation: Resistance fighter
- Education: Free University of Brussels
- Righteous Among the Nations award: 1994
- Honorary degree: 2005
Questions readers ask
What specific act is Maistriau known for?
He participated in the 1943 rescue operation of Jews from the twentieth transport train to Auschwitz.
Did he receive official recognition for his actions?
Yes, Yad Vashem awarded him the status of Righteous Among the Nations in 1994.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1994
- Worked as resistance fighter
- Educated at Free University of Brussels