Era of the Female Witness: Jewish Women and the Trial of Klaus Barbie

Abstract

In May 1987, Sabine Zlatin and Simone Lagrange became household names in France after they testified against the infamous Nazi Klaus Barbie, “the Butcher of Lyon,” during his trial for crimes against humanity. On the witness stand, Zlatin’s testimony revealed her perseverance as a Polish-Jewish immigrant involved extensively in wartime rescue and resistance. Meanwhile, Lagrange shared her encounters as a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl whom Klaus Barbie tortured. Throughout Barbie’s trial, national and international media outlets reported frequently on Zlatin and Lagrange’s wartime and postwar lives. The enormous media attention the trial received made it a crucial event during the resurgence of Holocaust memory in France, yet what made this trial unique regarding the role of Jewish women as witnesses was its timing in the aftermath of the women’s rights movement. The feminist movement allowed people to better understand the gendered nature of Zlatin and Lagrange’s testimonies and recognize their persecution and perseverance as women during and after the war. Going forward, the centrality of experiences shared by women shaped how the trial would be remembered, and arguably even influenced a greater consideration of crimes against women within the statutes for crimes against humanity.