Père Marie-Benoît and Jewish Rescue: How a French Priest Together with Jewish Friends Saved Thousands during the Holocaust - Hardcover

Zuccotti, Susan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0253008530 ISBN 13: 9780253008534

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Susan Zuccotti narrates the life and work of Pere Marie-Benoit, a courageous French Capuchin priest who risked everything to hide and save Jews in France and Italy during the Holocaust. Who was this extraordinary priest and how did he become adept at hiding Jews, providing them with false papers, and helping them to elude their persecutors? First from a monastery in Marseille and later in Rome, Pere Marie-Benoit worked with Jewish co-conspirators to build remarkably effective Jewish-Christian rescue networks. Despite a cold reception from Pope Pius XII, who declined to assist in their efforts, they persisted in their clandestine activities until the Allies liberated Rome. To tell this remarkable tale, in addition to her research in French and Vatican archives, Zuccotti personally interviewed Pere Marie-Benoit, his family, Jewish rescuers with whom he worked, and survivors who owed their lives to his network.

About this title

Review:

"Uncovers the story of one remarkable religious and priest during humanity's darkest time... The work is extremely compelling, engaging the reader's full attention, and challenging to put down." --Kevin P. Spicer, author of Antisemitism, Christian Ambivalence, and the Holocaust (IUP, 2007)

"Provides a close-up look at how rescue during the Holocaust worked... To reveal in detail what happened over half a century ago constitutes an astonishing piece of sleuthing." --Michael Phayer, author of The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965 (IUP, 2001 )

About the Author:

Susan Zuccotti is author of The Italians and the Holocaust: Persecution, Rescue, and Survival; The Holocaust, the French, and the Jews; Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy; and Holocaust Odysseys: The Jews of Saint-Martin-Vesubie and Their Flight through France and Italy. She has taught Holocaust history at Barnard College in New York and Trinity College in Hartford.

About this edition

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0253008530
• ISBN 13: 9780253008534
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 296