Jews in Convents in France during the Holocaust. Observations, Dynamics, and Internal Operations
Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały, No. 12 (2016), pages: 169-186
Publication date: 2016-11-30
Abstract
During the Holocaust, an undetermined number of Roman Catholic male and fe- male religious belonging to various Orders, Congregations and Societies helped Jews. Some were involved in hiding Jewish men, women, and children by placing them in their cloisters, guesthouses, nurseries, retirement homes and parishes assigned to them or arranged their placement in private homes or in other com- munities’ institutions. Some assisted Jews by providing false identiϐication or food ration cards, or assisted them in illegally crossing the border. Their lifestyle had an inϐluence on how assistance was conducted. Male and female religious lived and worked within a socio-economic communal system according to the norms of the particular community characterized by a life of prayer, work and living within some form of communal structure. This article presents different types of communities vis-à-vis the hiding Jews by religious in France, the issues of superiors, and the variant internal organizational procedures as to how assis- tance was organized, while taking into consideration that religious who helped Jews were members of communal and social entities and who often utilized their community’s resources in the assistance offered.
Keywords
convents, religious communities, hiding of Jews, France
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