A map of the Resistance escape routes from Le Chambon

The foundress of the Cimade, Madeleine Barot

Madeleine Barot, founder of the Cimade, an aid organization that arranged rescue for people, mostly children, out of the internment camps in the southern zone

Oscar Rosowsky, a Jewish refugee in Le Chambon who made over fifty false identity cards every week, hiding his tools in beehives

Tools used to make false identification documents

KHC volunteer Hanne Liebmann's false identification papers, describing her as “Anne-Marie Husser” of Paris

Hiding and Escape

Would you risk your life or liberty to shelter someone in desperate need? How do any experiences you may have had being "protected" compare to the story of Le Chambon?

reflection

Due to local raids and constant anxiety, many of the Jews hiding on the Plateau were eager to escape. A network was put in place to bring refugees to Switzerland, some 300 kilometers away. Many of the contacts along the way were Catholic priests or Protestant ministers. Fake identity cards proved essential in smuggling Jews out of France. The Plateau had several forgers at work making false documents, including a Jewish refugee, Oscar Rosowsky, who made about 50 false papers per week and hid his forgery equipment in beehives.