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A poignant photograph from 1935 captures Israël and Hélène Malowanczyk on the balcony of their second-floor apartment located at 118 Avenue Parmentier in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. This smiling couple, a Polish hatmaker and a French dressmaker, resided in a modest two-room flat with their two young daughters, embodying the lives of many Parisians who rented their homes at that time.
The trajectory of the Malowanczyk family took a tragic turn five years later during the German occupation of France. Israël faced deportation, while Hélène and her daughters sought safety in the southern “free zone,” which was not under direct Nazi occupation.
Following the liberation of Paris in August 1944, Hélène returned to her home only to find it stripped bare of personal belongings and occupied by another couple. André Pescheteau, a mechanic, and his wife Yvonne had settled into the apartment. Tragically, Hélène learned that her husband had perished in Auschwitz, adding to the anguish endured by about 40,000 Jews from Paris who lost their lives in the Holocaust.
In June 1946, a court ruling prevented Hélène from reclaiming her apartment, which the Pescheteau family occupied until 1956. A newly released book, Homes as Witnesses of the Holocaust, marks the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation and sheds light on the plight of families like the Malowanczyks. The book reveals a disturbing pattern: French authorities denied the return of many Jewish survivors to their homes after the war.
Furthermore, the book suggests that the new residents of these Jewish homes often reacted with disappointment upon discovering that their previous tenants had survived the war and sought to return. Co-author Sarah Gensburger, a professor at Sciences Po in Paris, emphasizes that the book is the result of a decade-long analysis of previously inaccessible archival documents. It presents a detailed examination of the attitudes of Parisians during the Holocaust, challenging the narrative of widespread solidarity with the Jewish community.
“The prevailing belief is that after the Vel d’Hiv roundup and mass arrests in July 1942, Parisians united in support of Jews. However, our findings indicate a more complex reality,” Gensburger remarked.
According to her research, initiated by the city administration, many Parisians assumed that Jews would not return, leading to a sense of entitlement regarding their properties. “These apartments became coveted spaces, and there was a vested interest among some non-Jewish residents to see Jewish families permanently gone,” she noted.
Before the onset of World War II, approximately 200,000 Jews lived in Paris, primarily renting their homes, much like the majority of the city’s populace. Owner-occupied properties represented a mere 7% of the housing market, with tenancies often passed down through generations and rent controls keeping prices low since 1918.
As the Nazis occupied Paris in June 1940, they began arresting Jews systematically and confiscating their properties. During the first roundup in June 1942, Israël Malowanczyk was deported, while Hélène and her daughters fled their home just weeks later to escape another impending roundup.
The Malowanczyks exemplified one of 25,000 Jewish families barred from returning home post-war. Authorities argued that families without homes due to war damage had a greater claim to the apartments occupied by Jews forced to flee. The book describes the normalization of such actions, revealing a pervasive attitude among Parisians that profiting from the displacement of Jewish families was acceptable.
Letters from the era preserved in national archives demonstrate a troubling enthusiasm among ordinary citizens to seize opportunities created by the persecution of Jews, behavior encouraged by public policies that facilitated the appropriation of Jewish homes.
Gensburger stresses that while the expropriation of artwork and valuables has received attention in historical discourse, the loss of homes remains largely overlooked. She contends, “The narrative often assumes that public sentiment leaned towards the Jews’ plight. In reality, many Parisians found a vested interest in the persecution that was often tacitly endorsed by civic authorities.”
Through individual stories collectively chronicled in the publication, the book aims to paint a comprehensive picture of the experiences of Jewish families during this dark chapter of history. It underscores the need to recognize the complexities of historical memory concerning the Holocaust, particularly regarding the public’s role in the tragedy of Jewish displacement.
Source
www.theguardian.com