Philip Hallie (1922–1994)

This book tells the story of the village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in France who offered refuge to Jews fleeing in World War II.

The story and the people who are profiled are interesting... I found it curious that Pastor Trocme, who is described as a devout Christian, seems to lose his faith toward the end of the story, and that his wife Magda apparently was never a believer at all...?

The author is not a Christian, and as such, miracles were explained away with "good luck" or a belief in God, rather than the actual Person/Power of God.

It's written by an ethicist, not a historian, and the book itself becomes a bit repetitive and tedious.

"Whatever one's excuses for not taking a refugee in, from the point of view of that refugee, your closed door is an instrument of harmdoing, and your closing it does harm." p 124… (meer)

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Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Philip Paul Hallie tells of Le Chambon, a small hamlet of Protestants in Vichy France who were helping Jewish refugees escape. Mr. Hallie is a professor of Philosophy, he left a manuscript of this book which was posthumously published.

The book tells of a small, but significant slice of history. The village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon became part of a wide network to rescue Jews from the Nazi killing machine. The movement, led by Huguenot pastor André Trocmé and his wife Magda is credited with saving at least 2,000 persons. This is the second book I’ve read about the Le Chambon, Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France by Caroline Moorehead was the first.

In a moving narrative, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Philip Paul Hallie shows the goodness that people are capable of, as well as the bravery it takes to act upon that calling. I wasn’t too thrilled to find out the author was a philosopher, as I’m more interested in the actions of real people as opposed to high-brow abstractions. Luckily, so was Mr. Hallie who mentioned abstract virtues in passing, while concentrating on the astounding story of a whole village (almost), cooperating to rescue Jews during World War II at much risk to themselves and everyone they know.

Why did poor villagers who barely had enough to eat risk everything to help others? This was at a time when many refused.
Why, and how does an entire community gather together to work for a common goal in great peril?

Pastor Trocmé and his wife led the rescue effort, sticking to their ethical ideology unwaveringly and with fortitude. The Huguenots, with their history of persecution, were more than willing to help.

Focusing on personality, history, and culture, the book brings context to the conviction of Le Chambon which many find difficult to understand. Ethics, for Mr. Hallie, is not about abstraction, but about how people act when they are called up in the present, and whether the call to action is answered.

The people of Le Chambon answered quietly and their stories deserved to be told. Both André and Magda Trocmé were honored by Yad Vashem as Righteous among the Nations.… (meer)