Yellow cloth patch – Star of David with the inscription “Juif” – the badge of shame for the Jews of France. The patch belonged to the Jew Paul Daniel (referred to in some of the documents as Paul Pereyre), and included are: his passport photo and his personal documents, some from the wartime period and some from after the war. France, early 1940s.
During the war years, Paul stayed in Bordeaux. After the war, he held several public roles in the Jewish community, including serving as the head of the local synagogue. Among the documents included alongside the yellow patch are: Paul’s passport photo, the passport photo of his wife, an official letter from the Consistoire Israélite de Bordeaux dated May 2, 1945: “Mr. Paul Perayre is traveling to Lyon to deliver suitcases that were in his possession in Bordeaux, at the time when the persecution of Jews by the German occupation army began. He should be facilitated in carrying out the delivery promptly, as the contents are intended for him and his parents and are essential – according to his declaration”; Paul’s letter of appointment as a temporary employee at a hospital – December 1, 1944; Paul’s population registration card – October 1944; a prayer for the salvation of France during the war; a participation card for the inauguration event of the Resistance monument in Gironde; a religious studies notebook for a young French Jew; a voter card for the March 31, 1947 elections – Bordeaux; a calendar for the year 1944; an invitation to a memorial event held in Bordeaux in 1967; an appointment form from the Jewish community assigning Paul Daniel as the head of the Bordeaux synagogue in 1959, along with additional documents related to the synagogue’s administration; a declaration of support form for the Aquitain de solidarité avec Israël movement bearing Paul’s name among the signatories; two “protection tax” receipts; and more.
On June 7, 1942, Jews in the areas of France occupied by the Germans were ordered to wear an identifying mark. The patch – a yellow Star of David with the word Juif (“Jew” in French) at its center – was to be sewn by Jews over the age of six onto the left side of their chest so that it would be clearly visible in public. Jews who forgot to wear the badge when going out in the street, or whose badge did not comply with regulations, were officially subject to fines and imprisonment, and could be executed without trial by immediate shooting.
Patch: 9×10 cm. Light stains on the patch. Overall good condition.
