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André and Magda Trocmé

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Pastor André Trocméc. 1941
Magda Trocmé
Righteous
Among the Nations
By country

André Trocmé(April 7, 1901 – June 5, 1971) and his wife,Magda(née Grilli di Cortona, November 2, 1901 – October 10, 1996),[1]were a French couple designatedRighteous Among the Nations.For 15 years, André served as aProtestantpastorin the French town ofLe Chambon-sur-Lignon,on the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon, in south-centralFrance.He had been accepted to the rather remote parish because of hisChristian pacifistpositions, which were not well received by theFrench Protestant Church.In his preaching, he spoke out against discrimination as the Nazis were gaining power in neighboring Germany and urged his ProtestantHuguenotcongregation to hideJewishrefugees fromthe HolocaustduringWorld War II.

Early life[edit]

The Reformed church in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon

André Trocmé was born inSaint-Quentin-en-Tourmontto a large and prosperous upper-middle class and Protestant family. His mother, Pauline Schwerdtmenn, passed away when Trocmé was ten due to an automobile accident, leaving him to be raised by his distant but demanding father.[2][3]André's father, Paul Trocmé, was a wealthy curtain manufacturer.[3]His upbringing was sheltered and strict, but he faced reality when the First World War reached his hometown. During this period of time, Trocmé was only thirteen as he watched soldiers struggle through the streets after battle. In 1916 he saw the trains carrying soldiers bodies to the crematoriums of the South.[3]Trocmé became aware of the notions of identity and loyalty as his family was split between his mother's German heritage and his half-French brothers.[4]

His views on pacifism came to fruition when he met a young soldier. They spoke a great deal, and the young soldier told him about the ideals of non-violence, influencing Trocmé greatly. The young soldier was killed in battle later on, and Trocmé took pacifism more seriously.[4]When his hometown was bombed in 1917 by the Germans, he and his family were evacuated to southern Belgium as refugees. This gave Trocmé an understanding of what it meant to be poor, contrast to the wealthy life he had been accustomed to.[2]

Studies in Theology[edit]

The Trocmé family moved to Paris, shortly after the end of the First World War. He began studying at the Faculty of the Protestant Theology as well as at Sorbonne.[3]Trocmé's convictions of nonviolence and Christian socialism were deepened here as he studied the Bible. He met many students like himself, including Edouard Theis, who later joined Trocmé in Le Chambon. Trocmé's studies were interrupted due to mandatory military service (1921–1923), which Trocmé did not oppose because he wanted to experience the service time in Morocco.[4][3]Upon returning from the military he joined the French wing of theInternational Fellowship of Reconciliationalong with several of his friends from university.[3]In 1925 he was offered a one-year bursary designated for young French theologians by theUnion Theological Seminaryin New York.[3]It was there that Trocmé worked as a tutor for the children ofJohn D. Rockefeller Jr.as a way to pay for his expenses abroad. Trocmé met Magda Grilli, a Russian-Italian woman who had come to New York to learn social work and escape the confines of her home.[4]Magda Elisa Larissa Grilli di Cortona was born on November 2, 1901, in Florence, Italy.[5]Her father was an Italian born of Florentine nobility and was distant to Magda due to the death of his wife, Magda's mother. Magda's mother was a Russian woman who died shortly after giving birth to Magda.[5]Magda's new step-mother had attempted to put Magda into a Catholic school while in elementary school, but Magda could not outwardly conform. Magda preferred to make up her own mind rather than follow the "ready-made" opinions of others. Even marrying a Protestant pastor did not change her skepticism of religion.[5]

From a young age, Magda was interested in social work.[2]In 1925, Magda attended the New York School of Social Work at Columbia University by scholarship. It was here in New York that Magda and André met.[5]

André Trocmé married Magda Grilli in 1926. They had four children: Nelly, Jean-Pierre, Jacques, and Daniel. Trocmé's first post as a pastor was atMaubeugein northern France, a town destroyed by the Great War.[4]Conscientious objection was a forbidden matter among pastors, though this did not stop Trocmé from supporting those of the town who refused conscription.[4]This reflected Trocmé's pacifism, which was not highly regarded in the Protestant faith.[4]The family stayed here for seven years, but by 1932 the dusty, polluted air began to take a toll on them. While in search of a new parish, Trocmé was turned down by the first two he had applied to. The third, Le Chambon, was more open to pacifists and admired his great faith.[4]

In 1938, Pastor André Trocmé and Reverend Edouard Theis founded the Ecole Nouvelle Cévenole, which later becameLe Collège-Lycée Cévenol International,in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. Its initial purpose was to prepare local country youngsters to enter the university.[6]When the refugees arrived, it also took in many Jewish young people wishing to continue their secondary education.

World War II[edit]

WhenFrance was overrunbyNazi Germanyin 1940,[6]the mission to resist the Nazis became increasingly important. Believing in the same ideas as former PastorCharles Guillon,André and Magda Trocmé became involved in a network organizing the rescue of Jews fleeing the deportation efforts of the Nazi implementation of theirFinal Solution.Following the establishment of theVichy Franceregime, Trocmé and other area ministers serving other parishes encouraged their congregations to shelter "the people of the Bible" and for their cities to be a "city of refuge."[7]Trocmé was a catalyst whose efforts led to Le Chambon and surrounding villages becoming a unique haven inNazi-occupied France.Trocmé and his church members helped their town develop ways of resisting the dominant force they faced. Together they established first one, and then a number of "safe houses" where Jewish and other refugees seeking to escape the Nazis could hide. These houses received contributions from theQuakers,theSalvation Army,the AmericanCongregational Church,the pacifist movementFellowship of Reconciliation,Jewish and Christian ecumenical groups, the French Protestant student organizationCimadeand the Swiss organization Help to Children in order to house and buy food supplies for the fleeing refugees. Many refugees were helped to escape to Switzerland following an underground railroad network.

With the help of many dedicated people, 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, often under false names. Many village families and numerous farm families also took in children whose parents had been shipped to concentration camps in Germany. Trocmé refused to accept the definitions of those in power. "We do not know what a Jew is. We only know men", he said when asked by the Vichy authorities to produce a list of the Jews in the town.[8]Between 1940 and 1945 when World War II ended in Europe, it is now documented by researcher Muriel Rosenberg in her 2021 bookMais combien étaient-ils?that at least 2,000 Jewish refugees, including many children, were saved by the small village of Le Chambon and the communities on the surrounding plateau because the people refused to give in to what they considered to be the illegitimate legal, military and police power of the Nazis. (Earlier unsubstantiated estimates were 3,000 to 5,000 refugees were saved.)

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, most of which were unsuccessful. One arrest by the Gestapo led to the death of several young Jewish men in deportation camps. The director of their residence La Maison des Roches, directorDaniel Trocméwho was André's second cousin, refused to let the young adults put in his care to be sent away without him. He was arrested and later murdered in theMajdanek concentration camp.WhenGeorges 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, the Vichygendarmeswere sent into the town to locate "illegal" aliens. Amidst rumors that Trocmé was soon to be arrested, he urged his parishioners to "do the will of God, not of men". He also spoke of the Biblical passageDeuteronomy 19:2–10,which speaks of the entitlement of the persecuted to shelter. The gendarmes were unsuccessful and left the town.

In February 1943, André Trocmé was arrested along with Edouard Theis and the public school headmaster Roger Darcissac. Sent toSaint-Paul d'Eyjeaux,aFrench internment campnear Limoges, they were released after four weeks and pressed to sign a commitment to obey all government orders. Trocmé and Theis refused but were nevertheless released. They went underground where Trocmé was still able to keep the rescue and sanctuary efforts running smoothly with the help of many friends and collaborators.[9]

Righteous
Among the Nations
By country
André Trocmé speaking in 1958 as co-secretary of theInternational Fellowship of Reconciliation

After the war, André Trocmé and his wife Magda served as co-secretaries for theInternational Fellowship of Reconciliation,Europe.[10]During theAlgerian War,André and Magda set up the group Eirene in Morocco, with the aid of theMennonites,to help Frenchconscientious objectors.[10]They also advocated for the independence of Algeria from France, and demonstrated against the development of nuclear armaments in France. André and Magda were signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting aworld constitution.[11][12]In 1968, aWorld Constituent Assemblyconvened to draft and adopt theConstitution for the Federation of Earth.[13]

André spent his final years as a pastor of the Reformed Church in Geneva, where he died. Magda died in Paris. André and Magda are buried in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon.[1]

Legacy[edit]

Plaque commemorating the Trocmé's rescue of the Jews in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon

In January 1971, the Holocaust memorial center in Israel,Yad Vashem,recognized André Trocmé as Righteous among the Nations. He died later that year in Geneva. In July 1986, Magda was also recognized. Several years later, Yad Vashem honored the village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and the neighboring communities with an engraved stele erected in its memorial park. It was the second time Yad Vashem honored a whole community, the first time being the Dutch village ofNieuwlandein 1988.

André was the second cousin ofDaniel Trocmé(1910–1944), who was involved in similar activities to rescue Jews from the Vichy government and died in theMajdanek concentration campin April 1944. In March 1976, Yad Vashem likewise recognized Daniel as Righteous among the Nations.[14]

Magda Trocmé was the guest of French radio programLes Chemins d'une Vie(Paths of a Life) recorded by Christian Lassalas for FR3 Auvergne Radio (April 1982 – 90 min).

The Plateau Vivarais-Lignon and Le Chambon-sur-Lignon have become a symbol of the rescue of Jews in France during World War II.

As historians continue to examine events during the German occupation and Vichy rule, several longstanding disputes have emerged. In the case of the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon and Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, they include whether the interpretations based on Trocmé's writings are complete or correct. Those issues are objectively addressed inRobert Paxton'sVichy France: Old Guard and New Order(1972) and in Patrick Henry's book,We Only Know Men: The Rescue of Jews in France During the Holocaust(2013). Meanwhile, Richard Unsworth'sA Portrait of Pacifists: Le Chambon, the Holocaust, and the Lives of André and Magda Trocmé(2012) provides a thorough exploration of the roles and writings of the Trocmés. WhileCaroline Moorehead'sVillage of Secrets(2014) also examines the events on the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon and in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, other authors, historians and documentary filmmakers believe that that book presents a biased and inaccurate view of what took place.[citation needed]

Quotes[edit]

  • "Look hard for ways to make little moves against destructiveness".[15][16]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"André Trocmé and Magda Trocmé Papers, 1919–date".Swarthmore College.Archivedfrom the original on 8 October 2010.
  2. ^abcZuccotti, Susan (2014). "A Portrait of Pacifists: Le Chambon, the Holocaust, and the Lives of André and Magda Trocmé".Peace & Change.39:276–278.doi:10.1111/pech.12070.ISSN0149-0508– via Academic Search Ultimate.
  3. ^abcdefgBatten, Alicia J (2010-07-03). "Reading the Bible in occupied France: André Trocmé and Le Chambon".Harvard Theological Review:309–328.ISSN0017-8160– via Atla Religion Database.
  4. ^abcdefghMoorehead, Caroline (2014).Village of Secrets.HarperCollins. pp. 112–118.ISBN978-0-06-220247-5.
  5. ^abcdFox, Deborah (2006). "Magda Trocmé: A Mother Responds," Hineni! "".Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies.24(3): 91–95.ISSN0882-8539– via Academic Search Ultimate.
  6. ^abSunshine, Glenn (2016-04-25)."André and Magda Trocmé and the Village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon".www.breakpoint.org.Retrieved2023-04-25.
  7. ^Atwood, Kathryn J. (2011).Women Heroes of World War II.Chicago: Chicago Review Press. p.83.ISBN9781556529610.
  8. ^Hallie 1979,p. 103.
  9. ^Pacifism in the Twentieth Century,byPeter Brockand Nigel Young. Syracuse University Press, New York, 1999ISBN0-8156-8125-9(p. 220)
  10. ^abCharles E. Moore, "Introduction" to André TrocméJesus and the Nonviolent Revolution.Orbis Books, 2004.ISBN1570755388(pp. ix–xvii).
  11. ^"Letters from Thane Read asking Helen Keller to sign the World Constitution for world peace. 1961".Helen Keller Archive.American Foundation for the Blind.Retrieved2023-07-01.
  12. ^"Letter from World Constitution Coordinating Committee to Helen, enclosing current materials".Helen Keller Archive.American Foundation for the Blind.Retrieved2023-07-03.
  13. ^"Preparing earth constitution | Global Strategies & Solutions | The Encyclopedia of World Problems".The Encyclopedia of World Problems | Union of International Associations (UIA).Retrieved2023-07-15.
  14. ^"The Village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon: André & Magda Trocmé, Daniel Trocmé".Righteous among the nations.2013. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-11-20.Retrieved2013-04-15.
  15. ^Volf & Bass 2001,p. 158.
  16. ^Hallie 1979,p. 85.

Relevant literature[edit]

  • Hallie, Philip P (1979),Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: The Story of Le Chambon and How Goodness Happened There,New York: Harper & Row,ISBN0-06-011701-X.
  • Lambert, Carole.Against Indifference: Four Christian Responses to Jewish Suffering during the Holocaust: C. S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, André and Magda Trocmé.New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2015.
  • Volf, Miroslav; Bass, Dorothy C. (2001),Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in Christian Life,Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,ISBN978-0-8028-4931-1.
  • Romain GaryLes Cerfs-volants,1980 (translated asThe Kites,2017)

External links[edit]

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