On September 27, 1940, the Germans ordered a census of French and foreign Jews. A file was drawn up by the Prefecture of Police for the Paris region.
The law of October 3, 1940 “on the status of the Jews ” defines the “Jewish race”, according to the Vichy regime, and lists the professions forbidden to Jews.
The law of October 4, 1940 states that “foreign nationals of the Jewish race may be interned in special camps”.
On October 18, 1940, a German order placed businesses and property belonging to Jews under sequestration.
Anti-Jewish laws and ordinances followed in rapid succession.
At the same time, the fate of almost one and a half million French prisoners in Germany, the economic and social consequences of the occupation, and deprivations of all kinds, aroused anti-German sentiment among the population.
One of the armistice clauses stipulates that France must pay Germany 40 million gold francs a day in occupation costs. The Germans, with their considerable purchasing power, seized foodstuffs. This plundering of the country’s resources led to severe shortages and numerous protests.
