له شامبون سه لینیون

Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon

During World War II, thousands of foreign-born and French Jews had to flee from the Nazis, who were capturing them and taking them to the death camps.

A small number of individuals throughout Europe were involved in saving the Jews, but in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a small remote village in south central France, the entire community joined in the rescue efforts.

Most of the villagers of Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon were descendants of the Huguenots. The Huguenots were Protestants who once endured persecution in Catholic France. They never wanted to forget their own history.

A pastor named Andre Trocrne saw the Jews as the Bible’s people. He began hiding them. Hundreds of families aligned themselves with his parish and agreed to help.

The residents cooperated in several ways. They risked their lives by hiding the Jews from Nazi patrols. They offered shelter in their own homes, barns, and public buildings such as orphanages and schools. They forged identification papers to enable Jews to escape. They guided a number of refugees across the border by rail and on foot.

The refugees had to travel through underground tunnels and mountain passages to the safety of Switzerland, which was a neutral country during the war.

The village received support from people in other places as well. There was an extensive underground network of individuals throughout the region who helped along the way.

Even when the Germans were outraged and raided the village and detained people thought to be helping the Jews, the villagers defied authorities. They did not betray each other, either.

They continued to protect the refugee and, by doing so, were able to continue to provide an exit to safety. The inhabitants provided refuge for an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 Jews.

Today, the village of Le Chernbori-sur-LIgnon is seen as an exceptional example of a collective rescue effort during a truly dark time.