The Postcard

In 1933, Emma worries that their life in Paris is too good to last; the girls earn accolades at the top school, and Ephraïm dreams of French citizenship. Emma worries that their elevated position will earn them nothing but agony. They attend a dance—a high point in the family’s history and a moment they cherish.

The following morning, the Nazi Party in Germany officially bans all other political parties. Emma and the children travel to Poland to see her family. In 1935, Ephraïm registers his company, listing himself as Palestinian, which earns the attention of French counterespionage services. Meanwhile, antisemitic comments grow more common as Jewish Germans flee the Nazi party and flood into Paris, causing the French to worry. Ephraïm angrily worries that their arrival might threaten his citizenship application.

The French leader Leon Blum is attacked for his Jewish-community connections; Jewish shop windows are broken, and antisemitic language increases. Ephraïm realizes their precarious their position in Paris. Still, he believes his value will be recognized and his citizenship granted.