A selected list of recommended print and online encyclopedias and other reference sources on the history of Jewish life in France during World War II.
Reference sources contain entries (or articles) that provide overviews of specific topics. Entries in encyclopedias include comprehensive bibliographies, which may point you to relevant sources on the subject of your research.
Oxford Bibliographies Online
A bibliography is a list of the books of an author or publisher, or on a specific subject. Oxford Bibliographies, compiled by scholars and librarians, contain extensive lists of annotated titles on many topics within the study of the Holocaust. It is a great way to find authoritative sources on your topic.
Each subject contains an extensive introduction (which provides an overview of the topic) as well as a list of annotated titles of books, arranged by category.
The entry on the Holocaust in France may be particularly useful for your research.
The Encyclopedia of the Righteous Among the Nations: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust
The concept of “Righteous Among the Nation” is based on a Rabbinic precept whereby one who saves one life is considered to have saved an entire world. This reference source chronicles individuals who who adopted Jewish children, hid their neighbours in their cellars and attics, and committed other acts of courage to save Jewish people.
Volume 1 is on France.
The Holocaust: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection
Includes entries on significant individuals of the Holocaust (both victims and perpetrators), anti-Semitic ideology, and annihilationist policies advocated by the Nazi regime, providing insight into the social, political, cultural, military, and economic aspects of the Holocaust and its lasting legacy.
A comprehensive entry on the history of the Holocaust in France, with an excellent bibliography, begins on page 216 in the first volume.
Political and Historical Encyclopedia of Women
A collection of forty essays analyzing women’s status in various political contexts from medieval times to the present in Europe and North America. Contains an entry on women in Vichy France by scholar François Rouquet (page 588).
Analytical Franco-Jewish Gazetteer
Guide to the life of Jewish people in French cities, towns, and camps during World War II. Contains extensive citations to documents.