Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château du Masgelier, built in the 17th century for Louise de La Vallière, a mistress of Louis XIV, was originally a farm. On the eve of the Second World War, the building, then delabrated, was rented by the Children's Relief Work (SEO) to establish a colony for Jewish children. As early as January 1940, under the direction of Hélène and Jacques Bloch, the Masgelier became a haven of peace for these children, protecting them from Nazi persecution.

The Masgelier's educational project included the rehabilitation of the site, with a vegetable garden and a common courtyard created collectively. The children, who had been attending school there since September 1940, enjoyed active and secular pedagogy, although Yiddish was taught there and Jewish holidays were celebrated. The place was nicknamed the Republic of Children because of its community organization. Despite two gendarmerie raids in 1942 and 1943, the castle will house up to 335 children from 243 families during the war.

In 1942, faced with the growing threat of raids, the OSE organized a meeting at the Masgelier to adapt its strategy. Educators, faced with the arrest of parental mails (often a sign of deportation), sometimes wrote false messages to alleviate the emotional shock in younger ones. Jacques and Hélène Bloch had to leave the castle in March 1943, replaced by Rosette Lederman-Markovich and André and Jeanne Klotz. The site closed in October 1943 for security reasons, before reopening after the war as a centre for dispersed or orphaned children, including Popeck.

After 1945, the Masgelier became a children's holiday centre, marking the end of its historic role in protecting young Jews during the occupation. Among the children welcomed were personalities such as Serge Klarsfeld and Popeck. The castle symbolizes today a significant episode of the Civil Resistance and solidarity towards the persecuted.

External links