JEWS IN FRANCE: SAD AND GLORIOUS MOMENTS FROM
THE FIFTH TO 20TH-CENTURY

Pierre Chanover

DESCRIPTION: The history of the Jews in France dates back over 2000 years. In the early Middle Ages, France was a center of Jewish learning, but persecution increased as time progressed. France was the first country in Europe to emancipate its Jewish population during the French Revolution, but despite legal equality, anti-Semitism remained an issue. Even though the Holocaust resulted in the death of a quarter of the French Jewish population, France currently has the largest Jewish population in Europe. This one-time lecture will examine this rich history of the Jews in France.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Dr. Pierre Chanover, a Parisian-born author, poet, lecturer and professor holds a Ph.D. from New York University. He is listed in the Directory of American Scholars, and is the recipient of the French Ministry of Education’s Chevalier Dans L’Ordre Des Palmes Academiques. Dr. Chanover is the recipient of the Brooklyn College Alumni Association Lifetime Acheivement Award. He is the founder and president of the Palm Beach County Chapter of Hidden Children/Child Survivors of the Holocaust. He has been a professor for decades, and currently lectures on the history of Jews in France and Italy. At age 10, Chanover was put in a concentration camp in France for one year when he managed to escape and live as a hidden child. He has shared his story in books, and speaks extensively to the community at many educational venues.