The Mauritian Shekel: The Story of Jewish Detainees in Mauritius, 1940-1945

by Genevieve Pitot

In 1940 thousands of Jews were trying to flee Nazi persecution in Europe. This is the little-known story of a group of 1,600 Jewish refugees who, having escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe, were refused entry into Palestine by the British in 1940 because they were considered OillegalO immigrants. Their deportation after landing in the Promised Land, Eretz Israel, was unique. As a deterrent to others, they were deported to Mauritius, a remote island in the Indian Ocean. They were detained in a Mauritian prison until the end of the war and were deprived of all basic human rights_even that of family life. This story sheds light on the British governmentOs lack of understanding of the critical problem of Jewish refugees at that time.

Genres: Nonfiction

270 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2000

Reviews

[Maddy Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and quick read about a little known event in WWII. The book is very well researched with an accessible writing style and the fact that the author had a personal connection to the refugees makes this book all the more special.

[Einar Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1940, Anna Frank was among over 3,000 Jews who escaped Nazi persecution in continental Europe but became political pawns of Great Britain. I’m grateful she escaped. Not only am I dating one of her granddaughters, but Anna Frank also inspired scores of school children including Genevieve Pitot who later wrote a book about Frank and her fellow refugees to preserve their plight in history.

I have mixed feelings about Pitot’s book, The Mauritian Shekel (1998). I didn’t know about these refugees or the political context that created their tragic story in 1940. In the years leading to World War II, thousands of Jewish residents of Germany and surrounding countries began fleeing. Some fled to Palestine where the British and other Zionists wanted to create a place for Jews. Palestine’s leaders and residents weren’t amused by the British plans to create colony of Jews in the Islamic territory. Other Arabic nations, many of whom quietly supported the Nazis also were miffed by the Zionist plan. The British capitulated when they discovered 3,000 more Jews were sailing down the Danube seeking asylum from the Nazis. The British government shuffled a group of 1,500 to an internment camp (actually a former British prison) in Mauritius for a period from 1940 to 1945.

The traveling and living conditions varied from inhumane to relatively generous, but throughout those five years those refugees were detained against their will without any legal justification. It was pure, raw racism from the British government. That is an important piece of World War II history that I never noticed in history books previously. During one of the more generous periods of managing the internment camp, the British and Mauritius leaders allowed Anna Frank and other artists to spend their days in Beau Bassin teaching students and entertaining residents. That’s where Frank encountered a 10-year-old Pitot.

Unfortunately, Pitot’s writing style was distracting. To be fair, she wrote the book in French so my complaint may be with Donna Edouard’s translation. Either way, the timeline within most chapters jumps forward and backward far too often. She also includes far too many details about individuals that cloud the overarching story. Pitot thoroughly researched this incident, and I’m glad the research is captured in this book, but the book didn’t read easily. It’s a great resource for a little-known aspect of history, but it’s not an engaging story.

[Valzebub · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting side bar story in WWII. Something I'd never heard about. It is obviously a first (and only) book for the author as there are a number of issues with spacing, punctuation, etc. (so many exclamation points!) but those don't detract too much from the story. I wish more time was spent on the refugees actual time in Mauritius. They don't even get there until over halfway through the book. And then the four years or internment go by quite quickly.

If you're in Mauritius and interested in WWII, a good read to see what (little) effect it had on life on the island. I wish some locals had been interviewed to discuss their impressions of the refugees or some more stories of how they interacted with the local culture had been included.