"The Children of Chabannes"

I seem to be in a movie phase, but as we tend to watch many Netflix rentals at home, this is no surprise to me, nor friends and family that know us. Tonight, my husband and I watched a wonderful documentary called "The Children of Chabannes". Just when you think there simply can't be one more movie about Jews being rescued during the Holocaust, along comes another gem to surprise your brain and elevate your spirits. And, we can always make room for a movie about decent human beings - after all, this world in many ways has not yet learned the lessons of the mid-twentieth century.

The movie tells of a small, isolated agricultural community in southern France, in the region of Creuse. There, a remarkable group of people led by Felix Chevrier, sheltered some 400 Jewish children (from Germany and Austria) who were "released" by their parents for safety, as their parents were sent east to a certain death. The very notion of giving up one's children under any conditions is almost unthinkable, but that these parents were able to separate during a time of war speaks volumes about their courage. With the help of the children's aid society (OSE), these children came to be sheltered by decent and nurturing French men and women who ultimately would serve as surrogate parents. The townspeople, having little to no previous exposure to Jews, and no access to the anti-Semitic railings of the Parisian newspapers, were able to retain their humanity and saw only threatened children in need.

They attempted to provide as normal a life as possible, integrating the Jewish refugee children with those of the local town. The children went to school, learned French and survived with relative comfort until the Vichy government stepped up its round-up efforts in mid-late 1942. Unfortunately, six teenage boys fell victim to one such round-up. Two of them survived multiple concentration camps but the other four never returned. After this devastating experience, the childrens' protectors vowed to do everything they could to disperse their charges to safer private homes and/or ferry them across the border into Switzerland. As a result, many survived the war, though they would never be reunited with their parents.

It was most gratifying to see that Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel has honored these brave individuals who put their own lives on the line for doing something that seems humanly basic: protecting the young and innocent. We heartily recommend this well-done documentary.