Edouard and Joséphine Vain, 77, lived in Sotteville-lès-Rouen (Seine-Maritime) and were traveling merchants. In 1932, they had rented the second floor of their house to a Jewish family, Raphael and Corine Mizrahi. Raphael was also a traveling salesman, dealing in hosiery and underwear. Their two sons, Isaac, 8 and José, 7, were born in the Vain house. The family got along well with their landlords. The Vains’ daughter Lucie, born in 1918, was already married and no longer lived at home. When she visited her parents, her son played with the Mizrahi boys. In August 1941, Raphael left for Paris to buy goods and was arrested at the Saint-Lazare station. He was later deported and murdered in the camps. In January 1943, the Jews of the Rouen region were the targets of a big roundup. On the night of January 15, the police showed up at the Vain home to arrest Corine Mizrahi. The Vains barely had time to rush to the second floor to warn their tenant and carry the two sleepy boys downstairs to hide them in their bed. Their mother was apprehended. The last sign of life from her was a letter sent to her sons from Drancy before her deportation to Auschwitz where she was murdered. Despite their age, Joséphine and Edouard Vain raised the two boys as their own children, and at their own expense. The boys continued to go to school and the principal, who had been told of the tragic events, promised his protection. After the war, with both parents having disappeared, the Vains continued to raise the boys until they reached adulthood. Not only had they saved their lives but ensured that they preserved their religion and celebrated their Bar Mitzvahs.
On February 5, 2001, Yad Vashem recognized Edouard and Joséphine Vain as Righteous Among the Nations.