French Deportations
Detailed In New Book
Paris (JTA) — According to
French Nazi hunter and lawyer
Serge Klarsfeld, 11,104 Jewish
children were arrested and de-
ported from France to their
deaths in Nazi extermination
camps during World War II.
The figure appears in a book
by Mr. Klarsfeld that was pub-
lished this week and which con-
tains the names and, in many
cases, photographs of the young
victims.
The book, Memorial to the Jeiv-
ish Children Deported from
France, was created with the help
of his organization, the Sons and
Daughters of Jews Deported from
France, and provides a close-up
view of the deportations, even go-
ing so far as to provide the exact
addresses where the Jewish chil-
dren were arrested.
"This is not a book of death, but
a book of life," Mr. Klarsfeld said
in an interview. "It is as if the
over 1,500 children photographed
were testifying at the witness
stand about the crimes commit-
ted against them."
"We wanted to save the mem-
ory of those children from obliv-
ion," he said.
He also had another goal in
mind in writing the book: to set
the record straight about the ex-
tent to which the wartime Vichy
regime supported the Nazi pro-
gram to exterminate European
Jewry.
"We also wished to make it im-
possible to rehabilitate the Vichy
regime, which helped the Nazis
in their anti-Jewish actions. Let
us not forget that at least 75 per-
cent of those children were ar-
rested by the French police," Mr.
Klarsfeld said.
According to Mr. Klarsfeld,
Rene Bousquet, Vichy's police
chief between 1942 and 1944, can
be held personally responsible for
almost 7,000 deportations.
Formally charged with the de-
portation of 2,000 Jewish chil-
dren, Mr. Bousquet was shot
dead at the age of 82 in June 1993
by a non-Jewish self-styled
avenger.
Mr. Klarsfeld also spoke dur-
ing the interview about the pos-
sibility of bringing to trial
Maurice Papon, the last remain-
ing French citizen who has been
indicted for crimes against hu-
manity.
Mr. Papon was a high-ranking
member of the French adminis-
tration in charge of the Bordeaux
area in southwestern France. At
a time when his region was not
yet occupied by the Nazis, he
signed orders to arrest and de-
port 1,690 Jews, most of whom
never returned from the Nazi
death camps.
Many here think that Mr. Pa-
pon, 84, will never be brought to
trial, but Mr. Klarsfeld believes
that the judge in the case will de-
cide in favor of a trial.
"'This would be a major suc-
cess," Mr. Klarsfeld said. "Giv-
en the delays of the justice
system," Mr. Papon could well die
before legal proceedings are
brought against him.
To date, only one French citi-
zen, Paul Touvier, has been con-
victed of crimes against
humanity.
Mr. Touvier was sentenced to
life imprisonment in April for his
role in the assassination of seven
Jewish hostages in Rillieux-la-
Pape, located near Lyon in south-
eastern France, on June 29, 1944.
Mr. Touvier was
sentenced to life
imprisonment in
April for his role.
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Another Frenchman, Jean
Leguay, was indicted in 1979 for
organizing the first mass
roundup of Jews in France in
1942. He died of natural causes
THE _
in 1989 at the age of 79.
Reflecting on his Nazi-hunting
activities, Mr. Klarsfeld said,
"Our work is practically done."
Erie A• J[
During the interview, Mr.
Klarsfeld said he disagreed with
the opinion that the vast major-
ity of the French people support-
ed the anti-Semitic policies of the
Vichy regime.
"The conclusions I am drawing
at the bottom line of this book is
that no other country in Europe
protected its Jews and particu-
larly the. Jewish children the way
Mr. Kimmel will be reading and
France did," he said.
autographing some of his best known
"We can come up with actual
GiGIV urn
•
books such as:
figures. In Italy or in Belgium, 20
•
• Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
percent of the Jews deported
A charming tale for all ages
were children, while in France,
•The Chanukkah Guest
The
Chanukkah Guest reg. $14.95
they were only — if we may use
• Asher and the Capmaker
this word — about 13 percent.
Book Beat price: $13.45
•The "Anansi" series
This figure means that the non-
• Baba Yaga, The Spotted Pony
Jews of France helped Jewish un-
The Book Beat is a community
and many, many more
derground organizations to save
Jewish children.
owned bookstore specializing in
"But," added Mr. Klarsfeld,
Children's, Art, Photography, Judaic
"this became true only after the
and meaningful books of all kinds.
summer of 1942, when the
26010 Greenfield, Oak Park
French witnessed the arrest of
All Children's hardcover books
Call 810-968-1190 to reserve
whole families. Before that, the
books
for
this
Chanukkah
Event!!
discounted 10%
French were numbed by their de- 0%01
feat (at the hands of the Nazis).
-
'111E PERFECT CHANUKKAH
GNU% NU14114A11
GUEST
Meet Storyteller and Author:
ERIC KIMMEL
Sat., Nov. 19, 12-1 p.m.
at the Book Beat
illustruted
BaDKBEAT
0)
01
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