Amelot

Jewish welfare association in Paris whose goal was to provide relief for the Jewish community in France during World War II. Amelot was established in June 1940, soon after the German army invaded France. It was founded by a group of Jewish immigrant activists, including members of the Federation of Jewish Societies of France, the Bund, and the Po'alei Zion Zionist movement.

Amelot did not want to join the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Welfare Societies, which had been instituted in January 1941 due to Nazi pressure. However, it decided to cooperate with the committee in order to further the needs of the community. Nonetheless, when the Nazis tightened their grip on the committee, Amelot would have nothing more to do with it. From then on, Amelot acted independently.

In mid-1941, 8,000 Jewish males were arrested; Amelot expanded its aid activities to help them. The group also provided relief for Jews who had escaped Deportation, who thus could not be helped by the Union of French Jews, a Jewish umbrella organization established by the Vichy government. Furthermore, Amelot hid children and gave out forged identity papers. In all, Amelot assisted thousands of Jews, rescued more than 1,000 children, and handed out thousands of meals to the needy.