Star of David

The six-pointed Star of David, or Jewish star, is a very ancient symbol associated with Judaism since the early Middle Ages. According to Jewish tradition, it represents the emblem of King David or the symbol of the Messiah.

During World War II, this fabric star had to be sewn onto the left side of a coat. It is part of a long line of discriminatory symbols imposed on Jews throughout their history. The yellow star is reminiscent, in particular, of the “rouelle” worn in the Middle Ages.

The Nazis required all Jews in Europe to wear the yellow star. The measure was extended on September 1, 1941, by a decision of Nazi leader Heydrich, while the systematic extermination of Eastern European Jews had already begun with mass killings in Ukraine, Lithuania, and elsewhere…

The center of the star bears the word “Jew” in the local language (“Jude” in Germany, “Juif” in France, etc.). The calligraphy is meant to resemble Hebrew script.

In France, the wearing of this star—mandated by the German ordinance of May 29, 1942—became compulsory in the occupied northern zone as of June 7. All Jews over the age of six were required to wear it visibly in public.

The French and German authorities tasked the French police with enforcing the ordinance. The yellow star intensified segregation in daily life, as illustrated as early as 1940 by the first Statute for Jews, and then in 1941 by the second Statute for Jews. Another symbol of discrimination was the identity card bearing the word “Jews,” which served as a double form of identification—first in the northern zone and later in the southern zone.

The mandatory wearing of the star marked the beginning of the public display of the policy of persecution carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators, but it also marked the start of a growing awareness among the general public of the fate reserved for the Jews. The approximately sixty non-Jewish French citizens who wore the yellow star out of solidarity were imprisoned as “friends of the Jews.”

Resistance fighters from the Jewish section of the M.O.I. called on the Jewish population—which until then had largely complied with the law—to engage in civil disobedience, particularly regarding the wearing of the Jewish star.