On May 29, 1942, a German order made it compulsory for all Jews over the age of 6 years old living in France’s occupied zone to wear a yellow star. This discriminatory measure came into effect just over a week later – and contributed to the process of mass deportations to concentration and extermination camps. Eighty years on, the yellow star remains the horrific symbol of the persecution of Jews in France during World War II.
Rachel Jedinak looked back with horror on the yellow star. “I had a huge row with my mother because I refused to put on this star,” she recounted years later. “I told her: ‘I don’t want this on my clothes!’ It was terrible.”
