The Plateau

An anthropologist explores the altruism of rural villagers who protected Jews and others during the Holocaust—and its connection to her own family history.

During the Nazi occupation of France at the height of World War II, the people of a remote plateau risked their lives to shelter Jews from the horrors perpetrated against them by the Third Reich. The village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has a history as a safe haven for displaced refugees and asylum seekers. Despite the dangers to themselves, the townspeople chose compassion and kindness, a collective act of rescue and resistance in the face of fascist tyranny.

Daniel Trocmé was an educator who arrived in Le Chambon to direct homes for displaced children and young men. He believed in the essential oneness of humanity and wanted to be part of, as he put it, “the reconstruction of the world.” His idealism was tested when German police arrived on a raid. Sacrificing himself to safeguard the people in his charge, Daniel was arrested as a political enemy, enduring cruelty and violence at several concentration camps while uplifting his fellow prisoners’ spirits. For his courage, Israel recognized him with a Righteous Among the Nations honor.

Disheartened by her anthropological studies revealing the human capacity for war time and again, Maggie Paxson uncovered Daniel’s story when researching the history of peace and nonviolence. Her great-grandfather was married to Daniel’s sister, giving her an intimate connection to the people of Le Chambon and the wider plateau. Although they were reluctant to speak about the actions of their ancestors, Paxson witnessed how the villagers continue their peaceful and active traditions of helping those in need. Revelatory, poignant, and inspiring, The Plateau celebrates a community with abiding habits of care shared between generations and a multicultural home of people encouraged to love one another.