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Swastika over Paris
The destruction of the French Jews under the German Occupation is seen by two witnesses, one a member of the Rothschild family, the other a member of the Resistance
191 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 3, 2016
How I came to read this was rather a circuitous tale. I got a recommendation for a novel based during this period, and in reading reviews of that, I saw repeated references to "the much better telling of the story" in Swastika Over Paris. I'm glad that I opted to read this instead of the novel.
What Jeremy Josephs brings to light is how, when the Nazis came to France, and then occupied Paris, some French citizens were not only willing, but eager to send in their Jewish neighbors. All one had to do was send in a letter saying "so and so is a Jew and she isn't wearing her star," and you could make someone you didn't like disappear.
Also present in Swastika Over Paris is perhaps the most chilling example of the frog in the saucepan that I've ever read. Armand Kohn was a French Jew with impeccable claim to his citizenship and high standing in the community. He complied with all the regulations. He even tried to eliminate "escapes" from the hospital where he was administrator. He declined suggestion, insistence and begging with regard to packing up his family and move to a safer country. He had the means, and his friends and family members were able to warn him well in advance as to what was coming. His response was universally "as long as we are together, we will be fine." Even when he and his family are in a boxcar being deported, he is holding fast to this fantasy. In this case, the fate that he and his family suffered was entirely and easily avoidable, and I spent most of the pages devoted to his story saying "get out of there!" out loud.
Infuriatingly, the ever-eager monster (who was deporting even more Jews, even faster than Eichmann was asking - he was so keen) not only survived the War, but lived a peaceful and protected life in Egypt and died the natural death that was denied to his many victims. Despite the efforts of the Klarsfelds (who are my heroes, and who I was thrilled to see discussed in this book) and many others, he was only able to be convicted in absentia, and he was completely unrepentant of his actions. His only regret was that he wasn't able to eliminate all of Paris's Jewry. They even knew the address where he was living - why he wasn't brought to justice is a mystery that nobody would be able to adequately solve for me.
There's much more to the story, despite the shortness of the book. I haven't even mentioned the brave, young woman who fought in the Resistance, or the various ugliness that the innocents encountered when they were warehoused in Drancy and later at Auschwitz and other death camps.
This information is timely and important. We are losing the last of the survivors of the Holocaust at a ever-increasing rate. The last survivor of Treblinka passed away in early 2016. It is up to us, who were born after this happened, to pick up the banner and make sure the horror is never forgotten.
What Jeremy Josephs brings to light is how, when the Nazis came to France, and then occupied Paris, some French citizens were not only willing, but eager to send in their Jewish neighbors. All one had to do was send in a letter saying "so and so is a Jew and she isn't wearing her star," and you could make someone you didn't like disappear.
Also present in Swastika Over Paris is perhaps the most chilling example of the frog in the saucepan that I've ever read. Armand Kohn was a French Jew with impeccable claim to his citizenship and high standing in the community. He complied with all the regulations. He even tried to eliminate "escapes" from the hospital where he was administrator. He declined suggestion, insistence and begging with regard to packing up his family and move to a safer country. He had the means, and his friends and family members were able to warn him well in advance as to what was coming. His response was universally "as long as we are together, we will be fine." Even when he and his family are in a boxcar being deported, he is holding fast to this fantasy. In this case, the fate that he and his family suffered was entirely and easily avoidable, and I spent most of the pages devoted to his story saying "get out of there!" out loud.
Infuriatingly, the ever-eager monster (who was deporting even more Jews, even faster than Eichmann was asking - he was so keen) not only survived the War, but lived a peaceful and protected life in Egypt and died the natural death that was denied to his many victims. Despite the efforts of the Klarsfelds (who are my heroes, and who I was thrilled to see discussed in this book) and many others, he was only able to be convicted in absentia, and he was completely unrepentant of his actions. His only regret was that he wasn't able to eliminate all of Paris's Jewry. They even knew the address where he was living - why he wasn't brought to justice is a mystery that nobody would be able to adequately solve for me.
There's much more to the story, despite the shortness of the book. I haven't even mentioned the brave, young woman who fought in the Resistance, or the various ugliness that the innocents encountered when they were warehoused in Drancy and later at Auschwitz and other death camps.
This information is timely and important. We are losing the last of the survivors of the Holocaust at a ever-increasing rate. The last survivor of Treblinka passed away in early 2016. It is up to us, who were born after this happened, to pick up the banner and make sure the horror is never forgotten.
June 29, 2022
This is a very disturbing read, but incredibly important as a document of the horror of that time as experienced by two people who spoke directly with the author. While his writing style was acceptable, the simple fact of his recitation of the events merits much mention and applause.
December 28, 2015
This book was a very quick and enjoyable read. We live about 2 hours from Paris and I wanted something that covered the plight of Jews in France. It mainly follows the stories of two Parisian Jews; one that resisted the occupation and horror of persecution and another that cooperated in order to try and save his family. The book does a good job of giving the reader the "feel" of Paris at the time while following the family stories from the surrender of Paris to the end of the war and fate of the people in the story. I recommend the book as you get good background for a relatively short investment of time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews