October 3-18, 1940

First Jewish Statute

In the early months of the Occupation, the Vichy government issued a Jewish statute. The law was published in the Official Journal on October 18, 1940, but was dated October 3. It aimed to dissuade the Germans from intervening in the internal affairs of France, a few days after they had published an order for the census of Jews in the occupied zone.

This first Jewish statute excluded French people identified as Jews from most public functions and many other professions. Despite its scandalous aspect, it went almost unnoticed. It is true that the French were confronted with the difficulties of daily life at the same time and in the press, few newspapers were interested in the Jewish question, with the notable exception of Le Matin, a collaborationist daily close to the N**z**s...