Today I would like to tell you a story that is an example of the highest degree of humanity and sacrifice.

Stories like this also took place in Ukraine during the Holocaust.

In 1940, the Protestant commune of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon which is 350 km from Paris, was occupied, and Chambon was taken over by the Vichy regime. However, the residents refused to recognize the collaborationist regime.

The spiritual leader of the commune was young pastor André Trocmé, who had come to Chambon with his wife Magda and their four children six years earlier. In winter 1940 the first Jews, who had fled from Germany, came to Trocmé’s house. The pastor's wife asked friends to shelter them at their homes. Later a few people who had managed to evade a certain death came, and then Jews from everywhere were coming continuously to Chambon.

André Trocmé urged his parishioners to help all who need it, and his wife was engaged in the organization of their salvation. His appeal was responded, and the peasants began to shelter refugees in their homes. During 4 years of occupation the inhabitants of Chambon saved 5000 Jews - as many as there were local citizens in Chambon. Some families managed to hide Jews for 4 years, until the region was liberated.

Jews were welcomed, sheltered in apartments and houses, at factories, farms, institutions. They had false papers, ration cards, Jewish children were taught in schools, along with the village children. During this time, no one of 5000 people was given to police.

Of course, the sharply increased number of the villagers did not go unnoticed, the search began. When Vichy authorities demanded from André Trocmé to stop defending Jews, he replied: “We do not know what a Jew is. We only know men”.

In August 1942, the police, local authorities and the Gestapo had been making searches within the village for three weeks and demanded to give them Jews under pain of death. André Trocmé refused, buses left empty.

In 1943, a courageous pastor was arrested, but the villagers continued his work under his wife’s direction. André Trocmé lived a long life and died in 1971, Magda Trocmé - in 1996.

In 1998, Yad Vashem awarded Le Chambon-sur-Lignon commune with an honorary diploma for humanity shown by its inhabitants during the war: 40 people from 2 thousand French citizens recognized as Righteous Among the Nations are residents of the village of Le Chambon.