David Rossler, 84, and his mother were sheltered by Georges Bourlet and his four adult children in Brussels during the final months of World War II in 1944. At the time, Rossler and his mother, both Jewish, faced the threat of being sent to a concentration camp under Nazi occupation in Belgium.
Rossler had already lost his uncle and grandfather to Auschwitz in Poland, and his father, who was hiding in a different location, succumbed to illness.
Bourlet and his family also faced significant risks by hiding Rossler and his mother. As Rossler recounted in a MyHeritage.com video, “Those who sheltered Jews were in grave danger. If caught, they faced deportation to Auschwitz, where the only outcome was likely to be death in the crematoria.”
After the Allied liberation of Belgium in 1945, Rossler, originally named Daniel Langa but later adopting his stepfather’s surname, moved to Austria and lost contact with the Bourlet family.
As Rossler aged and his health deteriorated, his final wish was to thank the Bourlets for their extraordinary courage and kindness during the war.
Lionel Rossler, David’s son, embarked on a quest to find the Bourlet family, placing advertisements and using social media. His efforts led to Marie Cappart, the country manager for MyHeritage in Belgium, reaching out to assist.
MyHeritage, a genealogy platform with an extensive database, found Cappart personally invested in the search. She shared with Newsweek, “My husband’s grandfather perished at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and my great-grandmother died at Ravensbrück. She was British and was involved in the resistance in Belgium before being captured and deported.”
Cappart's research uncovered Anne-Marie Bourlet, born in Auderghem in 1929. Anne-Marie had married someone named Dedoncker and had five children, all of whom might still be living. Further investigation led Cappart to Xavier, one of Georges Bourlet’s grandsons.
After 75 years, David Rossler revisited the location where he had been hidden and personally thanked Bourlet’s grandchildren.
“It was an incredibly emotional experience for us,” Lionel recounted. “I could see firsthand the place where my father was kept safe from the Germans.”
David Rossler expressed his deep gratitude, saying, “If I had Mr. Bourlet in front of me, I would want to kiss him. I wish I could thank him with all my being, for my life and my family, which I am immensely proud of, are thanks to him.”
Unbeknownst to him at the time, Bourlet’s bravery saved nine lives.
“Thanks to his heroism, Georges saved my father and grandmother’s lives,” Lionel said. “His actions preserved the lives of my brother, myself, and our children.”
As a tribute to Bourlet and his family, the Rosslers seek to have him honored as Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, recognizing non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jewish people during the Holocaust. The medal awarded to these honorees bears the inscription: “Whosoever saves a single life saves an entire universe.”