Testimonies by internees in France

Marie Rafalovitch was 14 years old gwhen her world came crashing down on July 24, 1944, in Toulouse. Denounced by a neighbor, she was arrested alone and deported to Germany to the women’s camp of Ravensbrück. Too young for forced labor, she suffered from hunger and abuse, and discovered with horror the terrifying fate awaiting the camp prisoners. (Only available in French)

These 80 letters, for the most part clandestine, were written by Dr Zacharie Mass to his wife Elisabeth from October 16, 1941 to July 31, 1943. They shed light on the organisation of the Drancy camp, illustrate the terrible conditions of internment and enable us to grasp from the inside the evolution of what was, for the Jews of France "the antechamber of death". (Only available in French)

This work presents eight texts about the camp "C" or "Jewish camp" of Royallieu, a suburb of Compiègne 75 km north of Paris. Thanks to this previous unpublished volume, the reader can complete his understanding of the terrible internment conditions of Jews in his camp for Nazi retaliations, under the auspices of the German Army.

Anna Traube was 20 when she was arrested July 16, 1942, Her father was already in France’s free zone, but her mother and brother were still in Paris. Thanks to Anna’s presence of mind, they evade the police come to arrest them in their apartment. Although she was arrested alone, Anna found herself shut in at the winter cycling stadium where Jewish families were packed in together in wretched conditions.

Jean-Jacques Bernard is the son of he famous man of letters Tristan Bernard. Himself a playwright, he was arrested during the police roundup of December 12, 1941, which affected 743 eminent French Jewish citizens. Jean-Jacques Bernard was interned in the German camp of Compiègne-Royallieu.

Benjamin Schatzman was arrested December 12, 1941 during the "police roundup of eminent citizens" aimed at the bourgeoisie and the intellectual élite in the Paris area. Interned in the camp at Compiègne, he managed to keep a diary despite the material difficulties. He describes his daily torture in a remarkablel anguage and noble attitude.