Jeanne Regnier (née Dol) lived with her mother Sophie Dol and her daughter in Manosque (Alpes de Haute-Provence). Jeanne’s cousin, Sister Alix Raybaud, was the principal of Saint-Charles, the town’s Catholic boarding school. In October 1942, Jeanne and Sophie took in a German Jewish refugee couple: Herbert Mahn, b.1909, his wife Lily, b.1905, and their five-year-old daughter Marie-Claire. Herbert had fled Berlin in 1933 and had sought refuge in Milan, Italy, where he obtained his medical diploma. There, he met Lili (née Jacobson), originally from Lithuania, and married her in 1936. Their daughter, Marie-Claire was born in Italy. In 1939, they fled to Nice. Herbert was inducted into a forced labor unit for foreigners, from which he escaped. Lily and her daughter were interned at Gurs for one and a half years. In 1943, the family gathered in Manosque and was given refuge by Jeanne and Sophie at no charge. To ensure the child’s safety, Jeanne appealed to her cousin Sister Alix Raybaud, who took Marie-Claire into her institution without putting her name on the registry. Later she escorted the child to the border and had her cross secretly into Switzerland, where she could join her grandmother who had already taken refuge in Zurich. Herbert found a job at the Péchiney factory in Saint-Auban, but was arrested in February 1943 and deported to Auschwitz by transport no. 63 on December 17, 1943 where he was murdered. In the arrest report, the police inspector indicated, “Mrs. Regnier, who is lodging this foreigner, has infringed Article 414 of the decree of May 2, 1938.” Fortunately, he did not take any action against her. After Lily Mahn’s husband was arrested, she changed hiding places to avoid further jeopardizing Jeanne’s and her mother’s safety. Lily was subsequently denounced and arrested by the Militia. She was deported to Auschwitz on May 20, 1944 but fortunately survived. After her release, she rejoined her daughter and maintained close relations with her protectors.
On July 18, 2005, Yad Vashem recognized Jeanne Dol-Regnier, her mother Sophie Dol, and Sister Alix Raybaud, as Righteous Among the Nations.