The first Jews in France to survive the occupation were those to join the millions who fled Paris in a mass exodus and headed South. Zuccotti tells us that although many French Jews decided to stay in France in 1940, approximately 5,000 fled the country, between June 10th and 25th, to Britain or America via Spain and Portugal. After the "exode" less than 70,000 Jews remained in Paris. Numerous Jews made it to the Southern Zone where they stood a higher chance of survival as here, it was not until 1942, that they would experience similar anti-Semitic aggression, but, by this time for those unable to …show more content…
When the Italians expanded their position in the southern zone, they refused to endorse anti-Jewish legislation imposed by the Vichy regime, such as stamping ID cards: they sought ‘humane legislation’ Much to the chagrin of the Vichy authorities, Alberto Calisse the Italian Consul in Nice, assisted by Jewish representative, Angelo Donatti, ensured all foreign Jews and Italian Jews were exempt from Vichy laws, refusing on several occasions to hand over foreign Jews and ultimately extending this protection to the French Jews. This could only have transpired if the Italian foreign ministry and officials in the Italian occupation zone were inclined to ignore the anti-Semitic German and Vichy laws on the Italian-held territory. Italy’s “resistance” was a valuable programme for some Jewish refugees allowing them time to escape or hide, but it was short-lived as the Italians aligned with the allies on September 8th and the Germans moved into the South where aggressive roundups began in the autumn of 1943. But, the disorganization and increasing anti-Nazi sentiment aided the survival of even more