André Trocmé

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André Trocmé (April 7, 1901 – June 5, 1971) was a pastor in the French town of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, who urged his Protestant congregation to hide Jewish refugees from the Holocaust of the Second World War.

Inspired by spiritual leader Charles Guillon, Trocmé and his wife Magda organized the rescue of between 3000 to 5000 Jews fleeing the deportation efforts of the Nazis implementation of their Final Solution. Following the establishment of the Vichy regime during the French occupation, Trocmé asked his congregation to shelter "the people of the Bible". Trocmé's efforts led to Le Chambon and surrounding villages becoming a unique haven in Nazi-occupied France.

Under André and Magda's leadership, families were located who were willing to accommodate Jewish refugees, members of the community reported to the railroad station to gather the arriving refugees, and the town's schools were prepared for the increased enrollment of new children.

These activities eventually came to the attention of the anti-Jewish Vichy regime. Authorities and "security agents" were sent to perform searches within the town, all of which were unsuccessful. When Georges Lamirand, a minister in the Vichy government, made an official visit to Le Chambon on August 15, 1942, Trocmé expressed his opinions to him. Days later, gendarmes were sent into the town to locate "illegal" aliens. Amidst rumors that Trocmé was soon to be arrested, he urged his congregants to "do the will of God, not of men". He also spoke of the Biblical passage Deuteronomy 19:2-10, which speaks of the entitlement of the persecuted to shelter. The gendarmes were unsuccessful, and eventually left the town.

In February of 1943, Trocmé, along with a teacher Roger Darcissac and the Reverend Edouard Theis, were arrested. Sent to Saint-Paul d’Eyjeaux, an internment camp near Limoges, Trocmé was pressured for five weeks to sign a commitment to obey all government orders. He refused, and following his release, he went underground, where he was still able to keep the rescue and sanctuary efforts running smoothly.

In January of 1971, the Holocaust memorial center in Israel, Yad Vashem, recognized André and Magda Trocmé as Righteous Among the Nations.

In 1938, André Trocmé and Reverend Edouard Theis founded the Collège Lycée International Cévenol in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France.


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