Le Chambon: Why Goodness Happened There

Human beings are subjected to living in a world filled with chaos, hate, war, inequality, and genocide, which makes exhibiting sheer goodness a challenge. Often times, individuals confused being “good” with following an established list of rules. However, there are times when goodness, or even ethical and moral behavior goes beyond following a rigid set of regulations as we recognize that certain demands are amoral. The genocidal extermination of millions of Jews orchestrated by Adolf Hitler at the time of Nazi occupation during World War II transformed Europe into a dark place. However, with many tragedies, there are often glimpses of goodness that shine through. The village of Le Chambon was an illumination. A primarily Protestant village in southern France, Le Chambon became a safe haven for Jews fleeing Nazi rule. The people of this nurturing, mountain-town community were true heroes as they banded together to take Jewish refugees into their homes, forge ID and ration cards and help them escape to safety. The actions of the Chambonnais during the Holocaust may have arguably been one of the most significant, modest acts of resistance. In order to gauge our understanding of this tight knit community, often times, one sits back and questions, why Le Chambon? Why was this place different from the rest of Europe who didn’t take action to help the Jews in a time of need? Why did goodness happen THERE? Unfortunately, there is not a black and white answer. However, through the history of both the village and its inhabitants permeating in their minds, the community has been shaped into virtuous village full of goodness. They have been driven to act ethically despite possible repercussions, which has set them apart from similar communit...

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...s simply their moral duty to save Jews’ lives. In answering why they reached out to refugees, one said, “things had to be done and we happened to be there to do them. It was the most natural thing in the world to help these people" (Hallie 21). Hallie felt that the Chambonnais were on a completely different ethical ground than other communities – on a higher chateau of morality – using the allegory of the mountain that Le Chambon was situated on (Hallie 286). The small village of Le Chambon was distinct from other religious communities and took initiative to help the Jewish refugees. Goodness happened there due in large part to their history of persecution and their underlying need to protect those who faced similar persecution, Andre Trocme – the soul of Le Chambon – and his wife, as well as the inhabitants natural conviction to open their doors to those in need.