Tunisie

Yellow Badge Worn by Jewish Slave Laborers

1943 · 53630 — Tunisia 1943. Nearly Fine. Five-pointed yellow cloth star sewn onto plain beige cloth 7.3 by 9 cm. Yellow dye somewhat faded else in fine state of preservation.<br /> <br /> Specimen of the yellow star imposed on the Jewish population of Tunisia in March 1943 as a mark of the slave laboror. Tunisia was the only Islamic country to come under Nazi rule at first indirectly through the Vichy regime in France between 1940 and its liberation by Allied forces on May 7 1943. In response to the Allied invasion of Algeria and Morocco German and Italian forces invaded Tunisia on November 9 1942. By the end of November the Germans took the first anti-Jewish move by arresting four of the community leaders including Moïse Borgel the president of the Jewish congregation. "In addition to the governor-general's sympathetic attitude -- and in some degree to the pro-Jewish attitude of Bey Sidi Mohammed al-Mounsaf -- the Italians also in practice interfered with the application of the anti-Jewish laws" E.H. The dignitaries were released after a week following the intervention of the mayor of Tunis and the Italian consul. Because of objections by the Italians the edict to wear the star does not appear to have been generally enforced with rigor and was only formally imposed in two cities Sfax and Tunis. While 5000 Jews had originally been put on forced labor in thirty locations and camps along the front line "at the time of the collapse and surrenter in early May 1943 only sixteen hundred Jews were employed on forced labor" E.H. Given the relatively small labor force and the lack of zeal in imposing the anti-Jewish ordinances it is clear why so few of these yellow badges have survived. References: I. Gutman ed. Encyclopedia of the Holocaust vol. 4 pp. 1521-23. unknown