Parisian Jews initially defied yellow-star regulations and stayed in the city

Evidence

Jews, and anyone actively suspected of Resistance activity, had a grimmer sense of what the Occupation really meant — but they too could be blithe for too long. When the regulation came in on 29 May 1942 that Jews must wear the yellow star, many of Sartre’s and Beauvoir’s Jewish friends ignored it. They also defied the bans on using restaurants, cinemas, libraries and other public places. As each new rule was announced, a few took it as their cue to flee if they could, usually via Spain to Britain or America, but others stayed. It seemed possible to live with the insults and threats — until it wasn’t. — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 473

Categorization

• QUESTION: Many Jewish friends ignored the rules — wondering how quickly the realization of danger set in, and how this contrasts with Sartre’s own earlier blindness to antisemitism.