Paulette Cooper Noble recalls narrowly escaping deportation to Auschwitz

Paulette Cooper Noble is a Belgium-born Holocaust survivor, activist, author and journalist who has published 27 books and more than 1,000 articles. I recently sat down with Paulette as she shared her story of survival.

“I was born July 26, 1942 in Antwerp, Belgium. At the time of my birth, Antwerp was occupied by the Nazis. My father’s name was Chaim Bucholc and my mother was Ruchla Minkowski. My sister, Suzy (who was born Sarah), is two years older than me.  My parents were Polish Jews who immigrated to Belgium in the late 1920s. They were among the overwhelming majority of foreign and stateless Jews, mostly from Poland who found refuge in Belgium after World War I. Under the German occupation, authorities carried out deportations between 1942 and 1944. They deported nearly 25,000 Jews from Belgium to Auschwitz. Most were murdered there including my parents. Through an article reported by the New York City ‘Village Voice’ which was picked up by newspapers in both Belgium and Holland, I have been able to piece together a much ‘clearer picture’ of my past that was unknown to me for 70 years. I never knew my biological parents. My father was a skilled leatherworker who was arrested four days before my birth and murdered at Auschwitz when I was only a few weeks old. He was only 38. My mother went into hiding after my father was taken away. In a desperate attempt to find food and milk for Suzy and I, my mother was arrested on the street and taken to a transit camp in Mechelen before being deported to Auschwitz. From Mechelen my mother managed to smuggle a letter to a friend that read: ‘Play and be happy with the children’. My mother was murdered at Auschwitz on October 24, 1942. She was only 31 and died when I was less than three months old”.

Paulette recounted being saved from almost certain death

“For a few months, Suzy and I were hidden and looked after by friends of my parents. In June 1943, we were discovered and sent to Mechelen destined to be sent to Auschwitz. Sijbren de Hoo, a well-connected Dutchman, would become our savior. De Hoo, a friend of my father’s, was director of the Central Distribution Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and had jurisdiction over food rationing. He bribed Nazi official Philipp Schmitt through money he inherited to obtain our release and we narrowly escaped being deported to Auschwitz in late July 1943. Seventy years following our miraculous rescue I connected with Peter de Hoo, Sijbren’s son. Peter’s mother had shared stories detailing how his father had saved two Jewish sisters. He reached out to me by email after seeing the newspaper articles that reported I was trying to uncover the truth about my past. We soon connected and Peter disclosed details about my past that had been a mystery to me. After meeting me, Peter changed harsh feelings he fought towards his father who was a Nazi collaborator”.

Paulette recalled living in orphanages

“Following our rescue by Sijbren de Hoo, Suzy and I spent five years in several different orphanages in Belgium. On Visitor’s Day in the orphanage I remember crying because I could not understand why I didn’t have parents. Years later a couple purchased the building that once housed the former Baron de Castro in Etterbeek orphanage where I had resided as a child. Through documents and photographs, the property’s new owners obtained information that included my original name and date of birth. In 1948, Suzy was adopted by our aunt and uncle but didn’t have the means to care for me as well. Ted and Stella Cooper, a Jewish couple from New York City, arranged for me to come live with them in America. The day before I left, Suzy and I said our goodbyes. We would not see each other for several years. Suzy would eventually marry an Israeli man and move to Israel. She now lives in New York and we see each other as often as we can. I arrived in New York on August 28, 1948. The adoption was formalized in 1950 and I became a naturalized American citizen that same year. I spoke only French when I first arrived in the United States, however I quickly learned the English language. I graduated from Brandeis University with a psychology degree in 1964 and also completed a summer course in comparative religion at Harvard. I later earned a master’s degree from The City College of New York. When I was 25 years old I met and dated my future husband, Paul. We met again 19 years later and were married on May 17, 1988. Paul is an Emmy award winning  television producer who worked on shows including Midday Live and Dr. Ruth. For years Paul and I lived next door to my adoptive parents and maintained a strong bond with them until their passing. I had always been grateful to them for adopting me”.

Paulette shared details about her career

“I began my career working as a copywriter for advertising agencies including the prestigious BBDO (a worldwide agency headquartered in New York City). I pursued an interest in magazine writing and my work appeared in many nationally known publications including ‘TV Guide’, ‘Cosmopolitan’ and ‘The Washington Post’. Many of the A-list celebrities I have interviewed included Marlon Brando and Jackie Kennedy. In December 1969 ‘Queen’, a British society magazine, published my article titled ‘The Tragi-Farce of Scientology’. While it mainly addressed the harassment of Scientology critics, it was the first Scientology story to delve into sexual misconduct by church auditors. In 1971 I published ‘The Scandal of Scientology’. The book was a critical exposé about the Church of Scientology that revealed the religious movement’s methods of brainwashing and manipulation. Following the book’s publication, I became the target of harassment and litigation. My memoir published in 2022 is titled ‘The Perils of Paulette: My Life as a Stowaway, Tabloid Reporter, Travel Writer, Scientology-Basher, Holocaust Survivor & More’. The more than two dozen books I have authored cover a wide range of topics including travel, missing persons, psychics, pets and more”.

Paulette shared her words of wisdom

“Timing is everything. Don’t dwell too much on the past. Think about how lucky we are”.