Compassionate Community: The City that Saved Thousands

Martin Luther King Jr. passionately voiced his view on silence in the face of evil when he claimed, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” Coming from a person who had been a victim of cruel prejudice, this quote accurately represents courage of conscience because of the way the details embody both the challenges faced and the help given to others by speaking out against wrongdoing. Displayed continuously throughout history, courage of conscience became an important aspect of finding one's voice to speak out against Hitler's tyranny during the Holocaust. Although the Second World War led to much physical disaster, one of the most upsetting aspects became the lack of bravery shown by those who refused to defend the millions of innocents Hitler dehumanized into slaves, objects, and experiments. Because of this, the Holocaust required the fearless few willing to voice their opinions to risk everything– their citizenship, their homes, even their lives– all out of pure humility and as an extension of kindness to those in need. André Trocme of Le Chambon sur Lignon, France, certainly contributed to these few who chose to live as an example of courage of conscience, changed by the dreadful experiences of World War I and the opportunity to serve as a pastor in the Catholic Church.

Guiding the Christian community and serving in World War I gave André Trocmé and other citizens of Le Chambon sur Lignon the bravery to stand up for the victims of the Holocaust. Seen as the leader of the village, Pastor Trocmé served as a moral counselor for Le Chambon. Born in 1901, Trocmé came from a long line of Germans, and as a teenager in World War I, he had been deeply moved by a German soldier who became a conscientious objector to the government's policy. He then moved to Le Chambon because he sought a remote village where he could begin a church because he needed to live in a place where his opposition of the German government would not be discovered. About two years later, a leader of the Reformed Church demanded that Trocmé stop aiding Jews because he could damage French Protestantism, but despite the threats of prison, Trocmé refused. The oppression André Trocmé personally faced made him determined to provide support for those suffering from the cruelty of the Holocaust, motivating him to open up his city as a shelter for Jews and other victims on the run from the Nazis.

With the aid of his influential position in the church and the convenient location of Le Chambon, Trocmé graciously provided aid to Jewish escapees. More specifically, the citizens of Le Chambon, who sacrificed their personal time and money, helped to aid with the upkeep required for the local school to teach the sudden surplus of new students. Although educated men and women served as both teachers and administrators, the uneducated also had a chance to help by operating as janitorial and kitchen staff. Daniel Trocmé, the nephew of André and Magda, even went so far as to personally deliver over 100 student lunches every day, walking four kilometers often in blizzard conditions to do so. Bested by the apparent innocence of the Non-Jew citizens, Nazi soldiers never collected enough evidence to sustain a proper lawsuit for treason against Le Chambon. Courage of conscience remained distinctly conveyed through the honorable acts of bravery and generosity achieved by the citizens of Le Chambon sur Lignon.

Located near the border of Switzerland, Le Chambon sheltered hundreds of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, but the citizens faced dehumanizing treatment by the Nazi government because of their brave acts of love. Unfortunately, Trocmé encountered much persecution because of his kindness, both religiously and physically, but he continued to maintain his faith for the sake of those in need. To give an example, the Vichy authorities demanded that the pastor and the city stop taking in Jews, but the town refused, claiming God called them to help those in need of shelter. Then on April 18th, 1942, gendarmes surrounded Chambon to destroy all of the "illegal aliens." Because of his efforts to illegally foster runaways, Trocmé resided in a concentration camp near Limoges in February, 1943, where camp commanders tried to force him to sign a commitment stating that he would obey all government commands. But despite the threats of imprisonment for life and even the death penalty, Trocmé did not give in to their demands and returned home after five weeks. In the end, Trocmé's perseverance proved worthwhile, for he helped over 500 Jews escape into Switzerland. One day, a group of citizens from the neighboring city witnessed Daniel taking these lunches to the school, and followed him, leading them to the warehouse where citizens secretly taught Jewish children. As they had no evidence to prove Daniel's alleged crimes, a company of Nazis took up temporary residence outside the borders of the city and continually scoured the town for runaways, which forced Jewish refugees to hide in the cellars of their hosts' homes. Nevertheless, authorities gathered evidence against Daniel Trocmé, who spent the rest of his days in a concentration camp called Dora, where, in 1944, he died of starvation and exhaustion at the young age of thirty four. The Trocmé family's brave actions proved worthy of recognition by a Yad Vashem award, which recognized André, Magda, and Daniel Trocmé as Righteous among the Nations. The aforementioned trials that the Trocmés faced, as well as those of the other citizens of Le Chambon, caused the significance of aiding the victims of the Holocaust to be that much more courageous.

As proven above, André Trocmé quietly and humbly added to the handful of citizens who chose to be examples of courage of conscience because he was significantly affected by the tragic events he previously experienced. To have a high position in the church proved extremely valuable to Trocmé, providing him with resources and a powerful political influence. Plagued by the everlasting memories of World War One, Trocmé felt moved to do whatever he could in order to prevent a life from being taken, even going so far as to opening his home and facing concentration camps himself. Since the influential experiences he faced in the past made such an impression on him, Trocmé perfectly fit the definition of courage of conscience, using these experiences to the advantage of the Jews and other victims of the Holocaust. While speaking to a Vichy authority, Trocmé explained why he continued to provide help to runaway Jews, "These people came here for help and for shelter. I am their shepherd. A shepherd does not forsake his flock... I do not know what a Jew is. I only know human beings." He decided that he did not want to sit on the sidelines and watch as millions of innocent people died, and his courage gave him an opportunity to speak out against Nazi tyranny– proving that a single voice can change the world.