Seventy-four years after the end of World War II, Gerard Lanier, the son of a Righteous Among the Nations, began a remarkable journey. His father, Roger Lanier, had served during the Nazi occupation of France in the dreaded Vichy police. Using his position to defy the regime, he risked his life by secretly hiding and protecting Jews in his home.
Roger Lanier was also a gifted violinist. In those dark years, he would sit and play for the Jewish family he sheltered, offering them fleeting moments of light and comfort through music. The sound of his violin gave courage in a time of fear and became a symbol of shared humanity in the midst of oppression.
