Saving Yourself by Saving Others – The Rescue Activities of Jewish Women in France

• In Event: Jewish Resistance and Gender during the Holocaust

Abstract

While rescue of French Jews has been extensively written about, most research ignores the role Jewish women played. Indeed, the majority of rescue operations in France were carried out by Jewish women. This diverse group included social workers and Jewish Girl Scouts or members of the Women's Zionist Organization as well as wealthy baronesses who used their money and influence; Jewesses who volunteered to be imprisoned in French camps to organize rescue from within as well as border smugglers.

Drawing from extensive archival records (including from the UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM, the MÉMORIAL DE LA SHOAH, YAD VASHEM and the GHETTO FIGHTER HOUSE) as well as oral history interviews with survivors, this paper aims to present a detailed analysis of the rescue operations of over 60 Jewish women all the while trying to answer the question if there was a particular “female” aspect to their rescue.

In doing so, this paper presents two main findings: First, for many of the (young) women, their initial motivation to become rescuers and join resistance organizations was not at all about lofty, moral reasons, but much more practical ones: They wanted to live as self-determined women, earn their own money and not get married right away. It was only in the course of their relief efforts that many of the women began to identify strongly with their tasks and to take ever greater risks to save more people.

Secondly, this paper shows that – even though it might seem counterintuitive at first glance – many of the women never had to choose between helping themselves and helping others. It was precisely by saving others that these women were able to help themselves, because it meant that they were part of larger resistance networks, had access to money and well-made fake papers and the RÉSISTANCE tried to liberate them if they got arrested.

Author

• Lilly Maier, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich