Simone Maria (Arnold) Liebster (born 17 August 1930) is a French woman who was a victim of

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

persecution during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a member of

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

. Simone was also notable as the author of a book called ''Facing the lion—memoirs of a young girl In Nazi Europe'' in which she wrote about her experiences at the hands of the Nazis.

Family

Liebster was born to Adolphe Arnold and Emma Borot in Husseren-Wesserling,

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

. In 1933, the family moved to

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

. She was baptized as a Jehovah's Witness in 1941. In 1951, she travelled to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to study at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, to become a missionary. She married Max Liebster, another survivor of Nazi persecution in 1956 and "together they have devoted their lives to their ministry and to peace education."

Religious persecution

In July 1943, Liebster received a letter, from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

government, ordering her to report to the train station. She "was arrested by juvenile authorities, taken to

Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...

, Germany, and put in a Nazi penitentiary home. For nearly two years, Simone was forbidden to talk and was forced to do hard labor. Both her parents by this time had been imprisoned in Nazi camps, and none expected to live to see the family reunited. The end of the war arrived, though, and the Arnolds all returned home and rebuilt their lives."

Filmography

*''Jehovah's Witnesses Stand Firm Against Nazi Assault'' (1996) *''Taking the Stand: We Have More to Say'' (2016) *''The Schoolgirl The Nazis and The Purple Triangles'' (2018)

Reception

Reviewing Liebster's book, ''Alone in front of the Lion'', philosopher and religious scientist Volker Zotz wrote: "The book as a historical document is significant in at least two ways. Once it provides an insight into the way in which the Nazi system tried to reeducate children. Then it provides a new source to a group of previously rather neglected Nazi victims, the Jehovah's Witnesses. But regardless of what gaps this book of historical research may conclude, it is of the highest interest as a personal testimony. How a child, under cruel conditions, preserves her inner dignity and her belief in God and the people, even though she knows her father in the concentration camp and her mother, even though she knows that close friends must die as conscientious objectors, is one in many ways challenging reading. The child can withstand the lion, as it feels the cruel Nazi machinery, because religious and ethical values give it an unconditional support."

Awards

* 2023, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

References

External links

Arnold Liebster Foundation
*
Jehovah Witness Survivor Simone Maria Liebster Testimony
in the Visual History Archive of the USC Shoah Foundation *
Are You Different
An online exhibition about young people in the time of National Socialism of the Federal Foundation for the Murdered Jews of Europe {{DEFAULTSORT:Liebster, Simone Maria 1930 births Living people French Jehovah's Witnesses Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses 21st-century French women writers 21st-century biographers French autobiographers French women biographers French expatriates in the United States French women in World War II French Holocaust survivors Writers from Mulhouse