Page 36 - Jewish News_October-2020

36 October 2020 JEWISH INTEREST

France introduces its own “Nuremberg Laws”

By Paul R. Bartrop, PhD
n old joke is told about two in the new French government. Pétain, by a second Statut, issued on June 2, against these “undesirable” individu-
Jews, Shlomo and Yakov, then aged 84, turned the Vichy regime 1941. It made the definition of a Jew als. A special commission was set up
Ain Warsaw sitting on a park into a non-democratic collaborationist even more rigid, and called for the in July 1940 to review naturalizations
bench in 1900. Shlomo said to Yakov, government, operating enthusiastically complete removal of Jews from in- granted since the 1927 reform of the
“You look awful. Are you alright?” Ya- with Nazi Germany while remaining dustry, business and the liberal profes- nationality law. As a result, Vichy de-
kov answered that he’d had a horrible officially neutral. sions. Only a few Jews were exempted naturalized approximately 15,000 in-
nightmare. “I dreamed that in 40 years On October 3, 1940, the govern- from these cutbacks. dividuals, mostly Jews, between June
the city will be de- ment passed its first widespread an- The impact of the anti-Jewish 1940 and August 1944.
stroyed. There will ti-Jewish legislation, the Statut des laws was profound. They enabled the Vichy tightened its antisemitic
be war, and all the Juifs (Jewish Law). This included a French police in the northern zone to legislation, applicable in both zones,
Jews will be mur- definition of who was a Jew that was conduct raids, round-ups and depor- during 1941. The first mass arrests of
dered.” “Don’t wor- even stricter than what the Nazis had tation of Jews. In doing so, they went Jews took place in May 1941, with
ry,” said Shlomo. “It instituted in Germany. Under Vichy, further than the orders demanded by most of them held in the winter sports
will never happen. someone was Jewish if he or she had the German occupiers. The laws were stadium known as the Vel’d’Hiv. They
The French aren’t three Jewish grandparents, or two Jew- created purely on the initiative of the were held, in horrifying conditions, for
Dr. Paul Bartrop that bad.” ish grandparents if his or her spouse French government and not by the Ger- days prior to being sent to the transit
For many pundits at the turn of the was also Jewish. The Statut des Juifs mans themselves. They were not man- camp at Drancy before being moved on
century, it was more likely that a major also entrenched a drastic cutback of dated by Germany, and were to apply to the gas chambers at Auschwitz.
explosion of antisemitic persecution Jewish involvement in French society. throughout metropolitan France and its Overall, by the time deportations
would have come from France rather Jews were from this point onwards ex- overseas territories. ended, the Vichy government had aid-
than its eventual focus, Germany. This cluded from the army officer corps and The speed with which the new ed directly in the deportation of ap-
month it will be 80 years since some of noncommissioned officer posts, top measures took hold was head-spinning. proximately 76,000 Jews to German
the currents leading to Yakov’s night- government administration positions, Denaturalization of Jews in France extermination camps.
mare came to the fore, when France in- and any other job that influenced pub- took one month; in Germany, it took The course of anti-Jewish legisla-
troduced legislation that was at least on lic opinion. They were only allowed six. Whereas in Germany it took over tion in France provided fertile ground
par with the Nazis’ Nuremberg Laws to hold low-level public service jobs three years for Jews to be excluded for the collaborationist Vichy gov-
of 1935. if they had fought in World War I or from the military, in France the process ernment to exercise its racist agenda
Following the defeat of France by distinguished themselves in battle in took only three months. And so on. during the war. It is worth bearing this
Germany on June 22, 1940, the country 1939-1940. As a result, the Vichy regime man- in mind when we contemplate the hor-
was divided into two zones: a northern Further, Jews were denied French aged to maintain public order for the rible darkness that was the Holocaust,
zone occupied by the German army, citizenship and were ultimately banned first two years after the armistice, with and to reflect on the fact that one did
and an unoccupied “free zone” in the from professions such as show busi- Germany providing little in the way of not have to be a German Nazi in order
south. The unoccupied zone retained ness, teaching, the civil service and interference – other than demanding to adopt murderous antisemitic poli-
its nominal independence (although journalism. In occupied France (though that the French police round up im- cies.
in many respects it was a puppet of not in Vichy), Jews were forced to migrant Jews, communists, political Dr. Paul Bartrop is Professor of His-
Germany), with its capital in the re- wear yellow badges. Police confiscated refugees and any individual labeled as tory and the Director of the Center for
sort town of Vichy, southeast of Par- their telephones and radios, and a cur- “undesirable.” The Vichy government Holocaust and Genocide Research at
is. Its president was the World War I few was enforced beginning in January was ahead of the curve, however. It Florida Gulf Coast University. He can
hero, Marshal Philippe Pétain, who 1942. Jews were also required to travel voluntarily enacted its own measures be reached at pbartrop@fgcu.edu.
was granted extraordinary powers by in the last car of the Parisian metro and
the National Assembly to enact a new were limited to certain public areas.
constitution giving him full authority The Statut des Juifs was followed Voices of the
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Call Bonnie at Or visit jfedsrq.org/tribute 1B Jewish Happenings formation. Our recent Jewish commu- ‹ Learning and building community
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n 2020, The Larry & Mary Green-
By Randon Carvel, President; Kim Mullins, Chief Operating Officer;
spon Family Campus for Jewish
ILife will begin a tremendous trans-
941.343.2115 to donate Download the Media Kit at tion of Sarasota-Manatee with huge ‹ Schiff Community Day School coming environment
Offering formal K-8 Jewish educa-
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tion and engagement for our area’s
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communities in an inclusive, wel-
years, presents The Jewish Federa-
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jfedsrq.org JFEDSRQ.org/Advertising 3A for families and so much more. Our Educating our community about ‹ ‹ Cultural arts, food and programming
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Sarasota’s Blumenthal family:
the Robert and Esther Heller Israel
941.371.4546 *Statistics compiled from a survey of our publication like-minded individuals, and thought- Continuing to act as a community Bringing the best Jewish thought
community members expressed their
Building for a better tomorrow
meeting space and catering services
desire for greater connections to other
Jews, more options for engaging with
by the Circulation Verification Council as the hub for many of these offerings. with the Jewish and non-Jewish Manatee area continued on page 2A
leaders and entertainment from
convener, building relationships
around the world to the Sarasota-
provoking, innovative educational pro-
grams. Our centrally located 32-acre
campus on McIntosh Road will serve
However, in order to meet the demand,
a complete renovation is in order.
8A on the following areas:
Space will be flexible, allowing
Save the date for Federation’s
Federation to respond quickly to com-
annual Jewish Film Festival
munity needs. No membership is re-
quired. Federation will remain nimble
with a pay-for-service model focused
By Gayle Guynup
Jewish Federation announces
11A Trectors approved its new slate
2020 Board of Directors
he Jewish Federation of Sara-
Namesake Israel Center donors
sota-Manatee’s Board of Di-
Robert and Esther Heller
honored by Federation
of officers for 2020 at its December
on our incredible re-imagined 32-acre
them throughout our two-
campus and by bringing Federation to
county area.” formation about the needs and wants of
meeting. Randon Carvel will serve as
the new president of the board.
other Jewish organizations valuable in-
Past President Michael
“My goals as the new president
will include continuing to raise valu-
Ritter noted, “During the
our community members.
last two years, through the
able resources in order to provide for
“Our new President,
hard work of our talented
those members of our community who
Randon Carvel, has been
38A Jewish community, now with approxi- vision of redeveloping our nization and its challenges.
staff and lay leadership,
still have real needs in spite of the eco-
very involved with Fed-
nomic gains most of our community
we’ve made great prog-
Temple Sinai Religious School
eration for several years
has experienced,” Carvel said. “In light
ress toward realizing our
and understands our orga-
students enjoy Hawaiian Luau
and Scavenger Hunt
of the amazing growth of our local
32-acre campus, as well
I am very confident that
mately 35,000 people living in Jewish
Randon Carvel
Randon is up to this chal-
households, we hope to engage them
as successfully launching our capital
job.”
lenge and will do a great
campaign required to fund the project.
in even more meaningful ways both
A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee
We also completed our first communi-
The Larry & Mary Greenspon Family Campus for Jewish Life
Annual voluntary subscription: $25
Other officers will include Michael
Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232
NON-PROFIT ORG. ty-wide population study in 18 years, Ritter, Immediate Past President; Ian
which will provide the Federation and
U.S. POSTAGE zation; Merrill Wynne, Vice-President
Black, Vice-President Campus Utili-
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