MILFORD, Mass. — Simon Barenbaum died on Nov. 18, 2023, in Milford, Mass., with his daughters by his side. He was 97 years old.

He was born in 1926 to Israel Barenbaum and Esther Zevko Barenbaum, traveling actors in the Yiddish theater. Their troupe was in Latvia at the time of his birth, and settled in Paris when he was very young. In the late 1930s, when they performed in Britain, Simon learned English, which would prove essential to his later endeavors.

The Barenbaums were in Paris in June 1940 when the Nazi occupation began. Simon was 14. His beloved older brother, Kadia, was ordered to report to the French police, and never returned home.

In 1942, Simon’s father, and then he and his mother, were detained in Drancy, a transit camp outside Paris. Just before they were to be deported, they were saved by a friend who told the authorities they were his employees, needed to make fur coats and boots for the Nazis. That fall, they were allowed to return to Paris.

At age 16, Simon joined a group of Jewish Boy Scouts who were making false ID cards. He managed to obtain some for his family, and they left for Draguignan in the south of France, where they had friends. There, they lived a relatively normal life for two years. Simon’s prowess at soccer earned him a place on the local team.

American paratroopers landed in the area in August of 1944. Hoping to hasten liberation, Simon offered to help them, using his proficient English. The head of the local Resistance gave him a mission, and he was able to help the Americans to gain military advantage. Simon was able to participate in several other missions, and to act as a guide and go-between, averting further attacks.

Soon after he returned to Draguignan, his family learned that Kadia had died of typhus at Auschwitz. After the war, the family moved back to Paris. Simon studied at the Sorbonne, and met Colette Jacot, who would become his first wife.

In 1950, Simon and his parents moved to the United States so that he could continue his studies. He married Colette in 1951, and taught French at Brown University while working toward his Ph.D. He and Colette had a daughter, Nicole. Sadly, in 1954, Colette succumbed to cancer. Some time afterwards, Simon met and married Ruth Schwarzkopf, sister of General Norman Schwarzkopf. After earning his Ph.D., he moved with Ruth, Nicole, and daughter Myriam to Oberlin, where he would teach French language and literature and direct French plays for 13 years. Son Kadia, born in Oberlin, was named after Simon’s brother.

The family moved to Middlebury in 1970, drawn by the strong languages program there. At Middlebury, Simon continued to inspire students with his love of French language, culture, and theater. He directed students in French plays, and assigned a project to create “Vous Allez à Montréal?,” a free travel guide in French offering walking tours and more, which he continued to update for many years. His love for Francophone Canada expanded as he took a series of week-long bike trips in Quebec.

After retiring from Middlebury in 1992, Simon became more involved in promoting Francophony in Northern Vermont. He helped found the Alliance Française of Vermont: Cercle Québecois (now the AFLCR). In 1992, he launched “Les Boulangers,” a French conversation group that met weekly in Bristol. That group continues in Middlebury, with some members having attended for decades. He also edited a newsletter announcing Francophone activities and events in the area, and created a monthly program, Chronique Francophone, for Middlebury Community Television. He organized “Chez Roland” social lunches in Rutland and Burlington.

In 1999, the Vermont Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French named him “Ambassador of French” for the many ways he promoted the learning and speaking of French.

Simon also spoke frequently to Vermont high school students about his experiences of surviving the Holocaust. He remained politically active, assisting with projects through the local Friends’ group. He and Ruth loved and cared for their garden in East Middlebury.

After Ruth died in 2022, Simon moved to Massachusetts to be near Nicole. Nicole and Myriam helped him to keep “Les Boulangers” going online each week. The group gave him a much-needed connection to his community in Middlebury, and the chance to share songs, poems, and texts related to France. He became known at his senior living center for breaking into song during Happy Hour and whenever else he felt so moved.

Friends and family appreciated Simon’s courage, enthusiasm, creativity, generosity, and sense of humor. As one friend said, “His memory will always evoke his irrepressible optimism, dignity, and devotion to others, to life and learning.”

He is survived by his daughters, Nicole Barenbaum of Mendon, Mass., and Myriam Barenbaum of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; son, Kadia Barenbaum of Burlington, Vt.; grandsons Joshua Scheufler of Nashville, Tenn., and Jake Miller of New York, N.Y.; and great-granddaughter, Olive Colette Potts Scheufler. ◊