Nadine was the daughter of immigrant Jewish parents. Her
Russian-born mother settled in France following the Russian
Revolution of 1917. Nadine was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, a
city on the outskirts of Paris known for its automobile
factories. She was fluent in Russian and French. 1933-39: Nadine
attended elementary school in Paris. Her mother, Ludmilla,
taught piano, and her Russian grandmother, Rosalia, lived with
them. After France declared war on Germany in September 1939,
Nadine's mother moved the family to Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, a small
village on the Brittany coast, hoping it would be safer. There,
Nadine resumed her schooling. 1940-42: Victorious German troops
reached Saint-Marc-sur-Mer in June 1940. After France
surrendered to Germany, the Germans remained in Brittany. Nadine
and her mother moved to the nearby city of Nantes. But local
French officials frequently cooperated with the occupying
Germans to help enforce anti-Jewish laws. In 1942 Nadine and her
mother were arrested by French police. Nadin