Patrick Desbois
Encyclopedia
Patrick Desbois, born in 1955 in Chalon-sur-Saône
, France
, is a Roman Catholic
priest
, head of the Commission for Relations with Judaism
of the French Bishops' Conference and Consultant to the Vatican
. He is the co-founder and President of Yahad-In Unum.
After being ordained in 1986 at the age of 31, he became the Superior of the Grand Seminary in Prado, Lyon in 1992. From 1992-1999, he served as Secretary of Jewish Relations for Cardinals Decourtray, Jean Balland and Cardinal Louis-Marie Billé. In 1999, he requested to work with the Jewish community of France, and was appointed secretary to the French conference of Bishops for Relations with the Jewish community and an advisor to the Vatican on relations with Judaism.
In 2004, he joined leaders in the French Catholic and Jewish community in founding Yahad-In Unum ("together" in Latin and in Hebrew.) The organization's purpose is to further relations between Catholics and Jews. Its largest and most ambitious initiative is to locate the sites of mass graves of Jewish victims of the Nazi mobile killing units, the Einsatzgruppen, in Ukraine and Belarus.
He is currently Director of the Episcopal Committee for Relations with Judaism, which is connected with the French Conference of Bishops. His work has been sanctioned by the Pope, recognized and encouraged by the President of France and supported in Europe and the United States. Desbois has been internationally recognized for his extraordinary efforts; his awards include the Medal of Valor by the Simon Wisenthal Center, the Roger E. Joseph Prize by Hebrew Union College, the Humanitarian Award by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Jan Karski Award by the American Jewish Committee, the B’nai B’rith International Award for Outstanding Contribution to Relations with the Jewish People and more recently, the National Jewish Book Award for his 2008 book Holocaust by Bullets (Palgrave-Macmillan).
As a consequence of his childhood interests, Father Desbois studied the Jewish faith while preparing for his ordination as a Catholic priest. He studied anti-semitism at Yad-Vashem, and later Jewish religion and culture with Dr. Charles Favre, a leader in the French Jewish community.
In 2004, he traveled to Ukraine, so he could see where his grandfather had been imprisoned during the war, and to pay respects at a memorial to the lives lost. Upon his arrival, he was shocked to discover that there existed not a single marking or commemoration to 1.25 million Jewish victims in all of Ukraine and Belarus. Speaking of his initial experience, Desbois narrated how:
In order to right the egregious wrong, Father Desbois helped found Yahad-In Unum in 2006. The organization collects information about the mass killing of the Jews in Ukraine
and Belarus
between 1941 and 1944. Ukrainian contemporary witnesses are interviewed about the mass shootings which took place next to their home and the mass graves are located. Desbois estimates that there are no less than 1 million victims buried in 1,200 graves in Ukraine.
Desbois conducts many of the interviews with the witnesses himself (and with translators). Using metal detectors, Desbois and his team have unearthed German cartridges and bullets from the pits where bodies were thrown, as well as jewelry belonging to the victims. Criticisms leveled against Father Desbois include his acceptance of the confessions of complicity in war crimes by those who he interviews. "Desbois doesn't ask a lot of the people that he speaks with...He gives the impression that it was the Germans doing all the killing, but in fact much of the organization of the genocide had a lot to do with auxiliary and local police forces. He is not interested in that," Professor Omer Bartov
has stated. Paul Shapiro
of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
has countered that "Some people have been critical of his methodology, but no one else is going out and doing this kind of work. It is easy to be critical; it is much harder to have the drive, stamina and commitment to go again and again to these places."
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, is a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, head of the Commission for Relations with Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
of the French Bishops' Conference and Consultant to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. He is the co-founder and President of Yahad-In Unum.
Education
In 1977, Father Desbois graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Université de Dijon. In 1981, he entered the Grand Seminary of Prado, where he was ordained in 1986. During the same year, he obtained a masters in Theology from Catholic University in Lyon, France. In 1991, he published his Masters on religious history at Université Lyon II, which studied the memoirs of Antoine Chevrier.Career
In 1978, Father Desbois worked as a math teacher for the French government in Africa. He later worked for Mother Theresa in Calcutta, where he helped set up homes for the dying.After being ordained in 1986 at the age of 31, he became the Superior of the Grand Seminary in Prado, Lyon in 1992. From 1992-1999, he served as Secretary of Jewish Relations for Cardinals Decourtray, Jean Balland and Cardinal Louis-Marie Billé. In 1999, he requested to work with the Jewish community of France, and was appointed secretary to the French conference of Bishops for Relations with the Jewish community and an advisor to the Vatican on relations with Judaism.
In 2004, he joined leaders in the French Catholic and Jewish community in founding Yahad-In Unum ("together" in Latin and in Hebrew.) The organization's purpose is to further relations between Catholics and Jews. Its largest and most ambitious initiative is to locate the sites of mass graves of Jewish victims of the Nazi mobile killing units, the Einsatzgruppen, in Ukraine and Belarus.
He is currently Director of the Episcopal Committee for Relations with Judaism, which is connected with the French Conference of Bishops. His work has been sanctioned by the Pope, recognized and encouraged by the President of France and supported in Europe and the United States. Desbois has been internationally recognized for his extraordinary efforts; his awards include the Medal of Valor by the Simon Wisenthal Center, the Roger E. Joseph Prize by Hebrew Union College, the Humanitarian Award by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Jan Karski Award by the American Jewish Committee, the B’nai B’rith International Award for Outstanding Contribution to Relations with the Jewish People and more recently, the National Jewish Book Award for his 2008 book Holocaust by Bullets (Palgrave-Macmillan).
Work with Yahad–In Unum
Father Desbois's interest in the Holocaust started at a young age, because his grandfather, who helped raise him, was a French soldier who been deported to the Nazi prison camp Rawa-Ruska during World War Two. His grandfather did not speak much of his time in the camp, and Father Desbois remained curious about the Holocaust and its Jewish victimsAs a consequence of his childhood interests, Father Desbois studied the Jewish faith while preparing for his ordination as a Catholic priest. He studied anti-semitism at Yad-Vashem, and later Jewish religion and culture with Dr. Charles Favre, a leader in the French Jewish community.
In 2004, he traveled to Ukraine, so he could see where his grandfather had been imprisoned during the war, and to pay respects at a memorial to the lives lost. Upon his arrival, he was shocked to discover that there existed not a single marking or commemoration to 1.25 million Jewish victims in all of Ukraine and Belarus. Speaking of his initial experience, Desbois narrated how:
In 2002, while traveling in Ukraine, he visited the site of his grandfather's imprisonment, Rawa-Ruska. Desbois knew that before World War II more than 15,000 Jews had lived in the town, but when he asked to see where they had been murdered, the major brushed him off and said no one knew anything about it. "How could more than 10,000 Jews be killed in the village and nobody knows?" he says. "I knew I needed to find out what happened. So I came back two times, three times, four times to Rawa-Ruska. And then the mayor lost the election and a new mayor was elected, much less Soviet."
The new mayor led Desbois to the forest where, Desbois says, approximately 50 elderly mean and women of the village were gathered in a semicircle. "You are standing on the graves of the last 1,500 Jews of Rawa-Ruska," the mayor said. One by one the villagers stepped forward and told of their experiences during World War II. They told of how the Jews were marched out to this clearing, forced to dig steep pits and hand over their valuables before being shot. They recounted stories of how the Germans had forced them-children or teenagers at the time-to guard the Jews to prevent them from escaping, to cover the corpse-filled pits, to serve the German soldiers food and even bring them a gramophone so they could listen to music.
Desbois recalls one woman-"an old lady with a blue scarf"-who tearfully told him, "I was at my farm, I was 14, and they told me, 'Come, come' and I had to climb in the trees and pick up pieces of corpses and hide them with branches in the grave so that the next JEws will not see them. And, after, arrived trucks and trucks and trucks of Jews from Rawa-Ruska."
Following these revelations, the villagers told Desbois they had never before publicly spoken of what had happened. Many asked the priest before he left, "Why are you coming so late? We have been waiting for you."
In order to right the egregious wrong, Father Desbois helped found Yahad-In Unum in 2006. The organization collects information about the mass killing of the Jews in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
between 1941 and 1944. Ukrainian contemporary witnesses are interviewed about the mass shootings which took place next to their home and the mass graves are located. Desbois estimates that there are no less than 1 million victims buried in 1,200 graves in Ukraine.
Desbois conducts many of the interviews with the witnesses himself (and with translators). Using metal detectors, Desbois and his team have unearthed German cartridges and bullets from the pits where bodies were thrown, as well as jewelry belonging to the victims. Criticisms leveled against Father Desbois include his acceptance of the confessions of complicity in war crimes by those who he interviews. "Desbois doesn't ask a lot of the people that he speaks with...He gives the impression that it was the Germans doing all the killing, but in fact much of the organization of the genocide had a lot to do with auxiliary and local police forces. He is not interested in that," Professor Omer Bartov
Omer Bartov
Omer Bartov is the John P. Birkelund Distinguished Professor of European History and Professor of History and Professor of German Studies at Brown University....
has stated. Paul Shapiro
Paul Shapiro
Paul Shapiro is the Humane Society of the United States' senior director of its .He directs an effort to convince retailers, food service providers, and universities to end their use of eggs from caged birds and expand their vegan options...
of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
has countered that "Some people have been critical of his methodology, but no one else is going out and doing this kind of work. It is easy to be critical; it is much harder to have the drive, stamina and commitment to go again and again to these places."
Publications
Father Desbois published his latest book is The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest's Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews in 2008. (Palgrave MacMillan). The Jewish Book Council awarded the book the 2008 National Jewish Book Award.Bishop's committee for relations with Judaism
Due to his position as Director of the French Episcopal Conference's Committee for Relations with Judaism, Father Desbois has had to deal with the controversy following negationist comments made by SSPX bishop Richard Williamson. However, since Desbois has positive relations with the Jewish community, he has been able to maintain a great deal of trust during an otherwise difficult period.Awards
- May 1, 2007: he was honored by the American Jewish CommitteeAmerican Jewish CommitteeThe American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
with its "Jan KarskiJan KarskiJan Karski was a Polish World War II resistance movement fighter and later scholar at Georgetown University. In 1942 and 1943 Karski reported to the Polish government in exile and the Western Allies on the situation in German-occupied Poland, especially the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto, and...
Award" for his "efforts to identify the mass graves of Jewish victims of the ShoahShoahShoah may refer to:*The Holocaust*Shoah , documentary directed by Claude Lanzmann * A Shoah Foundation...
" and "his dedication to furthering understanding between ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s and JewsJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
" http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=1531911&ct=3836447. - May 4, 2008: Rabbi David EllensonDavid EllensonDavid Ellenson is a rabbi who is known as a leader of the Reform movement in Judaism. He is the president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion , and the I.H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought...
handed over the Roger E. Joseph Prize to Desbois in New York http://www.huc.edu/news/08/5/desbois/. - May 7 2008: At the annual National Tribute Dinner the Simon Wiesenthal CenterSimon Wiesenthal CenterThe Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
in Los Angeles presented the Jewish Medal of Valor to Desbois for his commitment to religious tolerance and cooperation http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=fwLYKnN8LzH&b=4119301. - October 9 2008: He won the Shofar of Freedom Award http://www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20156974&BRD=1170&PAG=461&dept_id=7021&rfi=6
External links
- Yahad-In Unum's site (French/English)
- Shoah par balles (French)
- Holocaust by bullets (English)
- Article in The New York Times
- Interview with Father Desbois from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Priest uncovering beginnings of Final Solution