Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is a town in the Haute-Loire département in the Auvergne region of southern France not far from the border with Switzerland. Primarily a Huguenot town during World War II, it became a haven for Jews fleeing from the Nazis.
With the leadership of a local minister Andre Trocme and his wife, Magda Trocme, beginning in 1942, the citizens of Chambon-sur-Lignon risked their lives to hide Jewish people who were being rounded up by the SS for shipment to the death camps. They were hidden in private homes, on farms in the area, as well as in public institutions. Whenever the Nazi patrols came searching, they were hidden in the countryside. After the war, one of the villagers recalled: "As soon as the soldiers left, we would go into the forest and sing a song. When they heard that song, the Jews knew it was safe to come home."
In addition to providing shelter, the citizens of the town obtained forged I.D. and ration cards for Jews to use and then helped them cross the border to the safety of neutral Switzerland. Some of the residents were arrested by the Gestapo such as Rev. Trocme's cousin, Daniel Trocme, who was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp where he was killed.
It is estimated that the people of Chambon-sur-Lignon saved between 3,000-5,000 Jewish people from certain death. In 1990, for their humanitarianism and bravery under extreme danger, the entire town was recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" by the government of Israel. A small garden and plaque on the grounds of Israel's Yad Vashem memorial to the Holocaust was dedicated to the people of Chambon-sur-Lignon.
Additional information:
- 1979 : Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: The Story of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There a book by Philip P. Hallie
- 1998 : Greater Than Angels a book by for young adults by Carol Matas
- 1989 : Weapons of the Spirit - a PBS television documentary by Pierre Sauvage hosted by Bill Moyers
