Suzanne DE DIETRICH
Suzanne DE DIETRICH is a Protestant Théologien of Alsatian origin . It founded the Comité intermouvements near the evacuees (Cimade) in 1939.
Sensitive to the distress of the evacuees, a théologienne of origin Alsatian, Suzanne DE DIETRICH, well-known of the protesting medium, undertake a voyage in these areas of south-west. This will to begin finds its direction in the awakening that to the uprooting of the Alsaciens and the Lorrains is added the confrontation of two religions, the Catholicisme and Protestantism. Whereas Alsace and Lorraine are large cradles of Protestantism, the departments of reception are mainly catholic. The Alsatian ones and the Lorraine ones are then perceived like foreigners and very often essuient reactions of rejection on behalf of the populations of reception. As of its return of the Périgord, Suzanne DE DIETRICH addresses a report/ratio to the Committee inter-movement (CIM), authority quickly mobilizable which coordinates the Protestant youth organizations recently. The CIM (Committee inter-movements) rest in fact on the FUACE (universal Federation of Christian associations of students World Student Christian Federation), the UCJ (Christian unions of young people and young girls, or YMCA) and HAVE (Federation of the unionistic Scouts and Éclaireuses).
Initially, the religious vocation plays a great part. The creation of Cimade results from a true meeting between the history (evacuation of the populations of Alsace and Lorraine) and the religion (Protestantism). The CIM must coordinate its efforts, to organize a precise service which is a testimony — in addition to what each one can do locally — thanks to its traditions, at its houses of holidays, its experiment near the children. The Alsatian evacuees are particularly badly accommodated in south-west. They are often Protestant in very catholic villages. It is necessary to be present near them. It also described there the living conditions of the evacuees where in certain cases, the population makes them the best reception, in others it was just satisfied to give 6 lawful kg of straw. To difficult material conditions the trouble and the cold are added from which the evacuees suffer.
In October 1939, at the time of the retirement of Beavers where all the leaders of the youth movements meet to discuss the situation Alsatian and Lorraine, the CIM take note of the report/ratio of Suzanne DE DIETRICH, decide on a new orientation and add three letters to its name. From now on it acts near the evacuees . Cimade was born. It is thus with this suffering resulting from the war that the youth movements tried to answer by creating Cimade. The goal of the Committee, as published in the Official journal of April 3rd, 1940 (p. 2428), is by the means of the various youth movements from Protestant inspiration, to testify to the Gospel near the French youth tested by the war .
Itinerant work
From the start, the engagement of the CIMADE is considered starting from the religion. Vis-a-vis great insulation of the Protestants Alsatian in Gers and the Moors, very dispersed and without pastors , the assistance brought consists mainly of a spiritual support. More precisely, the official report of the meeting of January 27th, 1940, fact state of visits of villages, work manual for the children, schools of Sunday centered on Christmas, worships, Catechism. It holds there also meetings with women with manual work, readings aloud and worship. These meetings must be the occasion to break the insulation of the evacuees and to bring the to them Word of God . The major part of work is thus itinerant and is done thanks to a material of travelling worship (tablecloths of furnace bridge, cross, Bible S, etc) and two cars availability of the team-members. Those have also an activity of social assistance, since each week they go to Clairvivre, the large hospital of the evacuees in the Dordogne. Two hearths are also opened with Périgueux and Bergerac. Thus, the first actions of Cimade reveal one action directed mainly towards the religious group itself. Beyond of a properly religious action (cultural activities, spiritual meetings, theological formation, etc), they religious groups are limited to human and material support for the members of the community.The profile of the team-members is also a good indicator of the religious orientation of Cimade and fold on oneself of association. The men being mobilized on the face, the first actions of Cimade are carried out by ten den mothers scoutes, secretaries of movements, and deaconesses who, strong their experiments in the youth movements, give a support for the Protestant evacuees. The religious origin of the first team-members is thus undeniable. If they decide to devote their time to Cimade, it is under the terms of their religious engagement. They do what they can do: to testify to the Gospel, i.e. to be present in the middle of the suffering ones.
The arrival of the German troops with Sedan in May 1940 and especially the armistice signed by the marshal Pétain and Hitler on June 22nd, 1940 puts an end to the engaged activities by Cimade near the Alsatian ones and of Lorraine which return on their premises. The mission of this first Cimade is thus finished. Pasteur Marc Boegner, president of the Protestant federation of France since 1929 and chair National council of the reformed Church of France, do not intend to remain about it there and entrust, in May 1940, in Madeleine Barot, archivist, old responsible for the Federation of Christian associations of students, the care to define the new task of Cimade.
New mission
The Vichy government uses the camps of enfermement created by the {{IIIe}} République for to lodge Spanish Republicans. It increases the number of it to intern all there them indésirés , the political Jews, foreigners, refugees of which Germans anti-nazis: they are Gurs, Rivesaltes, Récébédou, Brens-Strapping man, Noah, Nexon… After the publication of the first statute of the Jews issued by Pétain in 1940, Pasteur Boegner written to the Chief rabbi of France our Church which formerly knew all the sufferings of persecution… will not cease continuing its steps for a recasting of the law . The theologist Karl Barth, one of the creators of the German Church cofessante which is opposed to the German Christian Church (Lutheran) which adopted the principles Aryen S of the Nazism, writing to the Protestants of France in 1939 the Church must say with serious and clearness which resistance is today necessary . In a second letter with those in October 1940, he says in the Church of France, the war must continue spiritually. The Church of France could not conclude peace or the armistice with Hitler .Cimade decides to come to assistance of the internees of the camps from Vichy then is opposed to the policy anti-semite of the Vichy government. Qand this one, at the request of the Germans, decides to off-set the Jews of the southern zone towards the northern zone from where since a camp of transit, such Drancy, they will be off-set towards Auschwitz, the watchword of Cimade is of to save by all the means . All the men without exception are brothers such is the message of the National council of the reformed Church of France to faithful, on September 22nd, 1942. The manufacture of false indentity cards, the steps of Madeleine Barot near the authorities Suisse S so that they accommodate the Jews pemettent in Cimade to organize dies of escape towards Switzerland. Many Jews are hidden near French families. Madeleine Barot will receive in 1988 the statute of Just memorial of Yad Vashem, a statute created to honor the people who took part during the war in the rescue of the persecuted Jews.
After the war, Cimade continues its work near the populations disaster victims of Normandy and the North of France, but also near the collaborators. Everywhere, as in the camps of Vichy, the team-members settle in huts near the people in difficulty to bring a material and moral help to them. Cimade will open also huts in Germany destroyed near the students, of the German workmen to help them to include/understand the Nazism, to support them in their distress. Old resistant, off-set to Ravensbrück, will take part in this work of reconciliation, saying I did not want any with the Germans. They had suffered them too. The teams of Cimade international, are then made of young people of the the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and… of Germany. Cimade thus contributed to the work of reconciliation which will be the beginning of plain Europe.
In the Years 1950 and 1960, the team-members of Cimade will be present in all them camps of reception reserved to the inhabitants of the old French colonies, the Harki S, Indochineses. It will also intervene in Algérie during the war to help the driven out rural populations their villages by the French Army. Thus at Médéa, city closed of: 8,000 inhabitants, with the doors of which camp: 60,000 people come from the mountains or the countryside.
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