City of Refuge

After years of studying war-torn communities, anthropologist Maggie Paxson had had enough. She wanted to see what she could learn about a place that specialized in peace. A family connection to Le Chambon and its World War II rescue operation brought her to the plateau, where she learned that a new effort to help refugees was underway. In this bonus episode, Paxson shares stories from her new book “The Plateau,” and what she learned about this remarkable place that continues to help strangers. For more information on “City of Refuge” — including transcripts of all our episodes — visit Waging Nonviolence. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support. We also appreciate a rating or review at Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show).

Albert Camus spent part of World War II living just two miles from Le Chambon, the tiny French village at the heart of a remarkable nonviolent resistance and rescue operation. Drawing inspiration from what he saw, Camus went on to write “The Plague,” a singular work of art that continues to offer empowering lessons on how to live in moments of crisis. For more information on “City of Refuge” — including transcripts of all our episodes — visit Waging Nonviolence. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support. We also appreciate a rating or review at Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show).

As governments fail to meet basic humanitarian requirements, rescue organizations have had to take life-saving action on the frontlines of the European migrant crisis. In this special bonus episode of “City of Refuge,” we hear from Sea-Watch spokesperson Haidi Sadik about the harrowing journey migrants face before even attempting to cross the Mediterranean, what a search-and-rescue operation looks like and the risks involved in such work. For more information on “City of Refuge” — including transcripts of all our episodes — visit Waging Nonviolence. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support. We also appreciate a rating or review at Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to the show).

Armies may have ultimately defeated Hitler, but nonviolent rescuers, like those in Le Chambon, were often the only people to effectively resist the Nazi’s genocidal agenda. What lessons can we carry forward today? For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 10 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

After the war, the Trocmés wrote and spoke about the rescue operation in Le Chambon often, yet the tale eluded widespread attention for decades. This is the story of the story — how the plateau’s nonviolent resistance came to be recognized and the impact that has had on those involved. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 9 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

As the war came to an end, André Trocmé took on the unpopular task of ministering to German POW soldiers and engaging in reconciliation efforts to prevent further death and destruction. Through this process he came to find out why the Nazis didn’t wipe out Le Chambon and its surrounding villages, like they did to so many others who opposed them. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 8 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

As Germany began to lose the war, France’s armed resistance movement swelled in ranks, threatening not just the Nazis but also the nonviolent spirit of Le Chambon and the refugee haven the area had become. Facing pressure from all sides, André Trocmé had to make a crucial decision regarding both his safety and that of the plateau region. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 7 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

For the first couple years of the war, Le Chambon was able to protect itself and the refugees it was sheltering from roundups and other reprisals. But in 1943, the dangerous work of resisting Nazism finally caught up with the people on the plateau, including the Trocmés. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 6 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

As Le Chambon’s refugee population increased, so too did unsettling visits to the community by Vichy police. Meanwhile, raids and roundups were becoming a growing threat throughout unoccupied France. All this meant that escape to Switzerland became a necessary — and daring — part of the rescue operation. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 5 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

Who were the refugees that came be sheltered in Le Chambon and its surrounding communities, and how did they get there? Hear from a few of the people who managed to escape persecution and imprisonment to arrive in a real life city of refuge. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 4 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

Magda and André Trocmé immersed themselves in struggles against militarism and fascism throughout the 1930’s, but chance brought them to the village of Le Chambon — a place steeped in its own history of resistance. There, they launched a progressive school and laid the groundwork for the daring rescue effort that would soon take shape. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 3 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

Born into wealthy families, Magda and André Trocmé weren’t raised to resist authority. Events both personal and historical caused them to cast off their privilege and choose unconventional life paths, ultimately leading them to their crucial roles in one of the greatest resistance and rescue operations of the 20th century. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 2 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

Refugees are fleeing, hate groups are rising, the far-right is winning elections around the world. Those who want to do something about it are going to need a model for resistance. And there may be none better than the story of a small French community that rescued around 5,000 refugees from the Nazis. For show credits, a list of sources, photos and transcript go to the Part 1 episode page. Support this podcast with a membership or donation at WagingNonviolence.org/support.

A 10-part podcast series from Waging Nonviolence that explores a little-known World War II rescue story, showing what happens when ordinary people refuse to ignore the horrors that surround them. New episodes every Tuesday starting October 15.