A Comic Book Commemorating the Righteous Among the Nations

Nice, Cote d'Azur, 1942, during the Italian occupation. We are in the middle of the war and Jews have found refuge on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, convinced that their living conditions will be easier there than in the area occupied by the Germans or in the free zone controlled by Vichy. However, unfortunately for them, their lives will be turned upside down once more.

In response, rescue networks are organized to hide them. Pierre Merly, an underground fighter and a couple of Jewish refugees, Moussa Abadi and Odette Rosenstock will establish the Marcel Network. Soon, the children are received in Catholic religious institutions thanks to the partnership of the local church led by the bishop of Nice, Monsignor Raymond. Pastors of Protestant communities are also involved. Under no circumstances should these children be handed over to the Gestapo! In total, 500 of them will be saved. This is the story of the comic book "Followers of the Nations of the World: Freedom Networks", published by Plein Vent, in collaboration with Yad Vashem France.

Don't forget the Holocaust

Passing on the memory of the Holocaust, the story of the Righteous Among the Nations, is one of the main missions of Yad Vashem in France today. "The last witnesses are disappearing, so it is necessary to convey this story to show on the one hand that man is capable of the worst - Nazism and its collaborators, but on the other hand of great good through dangerous actions that allowed people to be saved." David Shtabholz, the general representative of Yad Vashem in France, explains.

The comics project is part of this effort, he says. "One of the difficulties we encounter is creating interest among a young audience in this story that is starting to get old," he said. What could be better than comics, often associated with youth?

Attention to history and the clarity of the story

The authors of the book talk about real facts, with real characters. Only the "narrator" is fictitious, and his role is to facilitate the course of the story. No less than three screenwriters joined forces to tell this story: Serge Sotto, Yvonne Bertorello and Eric Stoffel. Two illustrators brought the characters and places to life: Frédéric Olaley and Michel Espinoza. "A long and meticulous research work was carried out mainly in the archives and documents of Yad Vashem, in France and Jerusalem, in the diocese of Nice, meeting with people who lived in that period, and searching for photos," explains Eric Stoppel, one of the authors.

The challenge, "to be as strict with reality as possible in the story of the events and to be accessible to everyone, in that everything is pleasant, flowing and understandable", according to Eric Stoppel. The main difficulty was the "clarity", he admits, "that's why it was decided to write two books because there was too much information". "A young reader these days no longer necessarily knows what the occupied zone, the free zone, the Italian zone is," he added, "so you have to lead him slowly."

An educational work, therefore, in order to better recreate the horror of the Holocaust, but also to remember that people of faith, and others, who said "no" and saved innocents.