According to Le Point, a ceremony in honour of Jean and Jeanne Philippeau, who were honoured as Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jewish children during the Shoah, cannot be held at Vendôme City Hall as originally scheduled. Arlette Testyler-Reimann, president of the Union of Auschwitz Deportees, who were hidden by the Philippeaus in 1942, said she was ‘disappointed, unhappy, angry’.
After an initial agreement, the mayor of Vendôme, Laurent Brillard (UDI), and his team (UDI-LR-DVD) backed down, citing the proximity to the 2026 municipal elections and, above all, “the current geopolitical context characterised by the conflict between Israel and Hamas”, as well as “particular sensitivities within our different ethnic groups”. This allusion, according to Le Point, refers to the notable presence of a Turkish community in the city and ‘Fuck Israel’ tags spotted in one neighbourhood.
Despite the arguments of the French Committee for Yad Vashem (CFYV), which saw in the ceremony an opportunity to unite the Republic across borders of origin, the city hall rejected the ceremony. This rejection is a novelty in France for a ceremony honouring the Righteous.
Thanks to the intervention of the State, the sub-prefecture of Vendôme will finally host the event in June. The State recalled that these honours embody courage and universal values and must not give in to fears or community pressure. Arlette Testyler-Reimann summarised: “The Philippeaus are an ordinary France, but one that saved us. […] The righteous are the France that I love.”
Le Point,Vendôme (41) – La mairie UDI-LR-DVD refuse d’honorer des Justes ayant sauvé des enfants Juifs de la Shoah pour ne pas froisser la communauté turque – Fdesouche