Sacred Betrayal: How the French Catholic Church Broke Its Pledge to Protect Jews During the Holocaust – Aliza Luft
It is well known that the French Catholic Church, which opposed Hitler before 1940, silenced itself during the German occupation. But Aliza Luft shows that the Church was more than silent: it was complicit. Behind closed doors, bishops repeatedly assured Jewish leaders of the Church’s support—only to betray their trust amidst the Nazi threat.
Aliza Luft is Associate Professor of Sociology at UCLA, where her research examines how classifications of self and other shift in contexts of war and genocide and drive decisions to participate in, resist, or abstain from violence. Her book, Sacred Betrayal: How the French Catholic Church Broke Its Pledge to Protect Jews during the Holocaust, will be published by Harvard University Press in September 2026, and her research has appeared in leading sociological journals as well as The New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, and other outlets. She currently serves as Interim Director of the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute, which houses the Initiative to Study Hate and Dialogue Across Difference, and on the Steering Committee of the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Prior to UCLA, Dr. Luft worked with USAID, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, and Facing History & Ourselves.
Tuesday, October 15, 2026 • 314 Royce Hall • 2 PM
Sacred Betrayal: How the French Catholic Church Broke Its Pledge to Protect Jews During the Holocaust
Aliza Luft (UCLA)
Moderator: Michael Rothberg (UCLA)
Cosponsored by
The UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute
The UCLA Department of Sociology