Declaration En vue l'application de Loi du 2 juin 1941 et de I'ordonnance du 26 Avril 1942 - "Declaration": "In order to enforce the law of June 2, 1941, and the ordinance of April 26, 1942, regarding the status of Jews" - Official Form No. 425, which French citizens occupied by the Nazis were required to fill out, in which they were asked questions about their own and their ancestors' origins to determine if they were originally Jewish or not. December 31, 1942.
The form before us was filled out by Louis Fiest in December 1942 - immediately after the final occupation of France by the Nazis in the early days of the Vichy France, which was a government collaborating with Germany. All the questions refer to the origin of the respondent's grandparents from both the paternal and maternal sides, and include questions such as "Do you belong to the Jewish religion", "Did you belong to the Jewish religion on June 25, 1940" (the day the law was enacted), as well as "Does your spouse belong to the Jewish religion, " and more. In the questionnaire before us, all the questions were answered "no".
The definition of a Jew in French law, based on ancestry from one of the sides, was enacted in France in relation to the 150,000 Jews residing within its territory. It was intended to separate them from the general population in preparation for their relocation and deportation to camps. The law enacted on June 2, 1941, defined a Jew as "a person who is a descendant of at least three Jewish grandparents, or only two if their spouse is also a descendant of two Jewish grandparents. Grandparents who belonged to the Jewish religion are considered Jewish by race; those who belong to the Jewish religion, or who belonged to it on June 25, 1940, and have two Jewish grandparents". The law and all its provisions were published on June 14, 1941, in the "Journal officiel", and according to it, both Jewish and non-Jewish French citizens were required to complete the questionnaire before us.
[1] leaf, 21x14 cm. Very good condition.
