During the Nazi occupation of France from 1940 to 1944, Paris became a center for both collaboration and resistance. While the Vichy government aided in the persecution of Jews, many Parisians risked their lives to defy Nazi rule. A significant yet often overlooked chapter of this resistance involves the Grande Mosquée de Paris. Under the leadership of its rector, Si Kaddour Benghabrit, the mosque became a sanctuary for those fleeing the Nazis. The Jewish Book Council notes that “the mosque constructed in 1926 […] was built upon a labyrinth of subterranean tunnels and rooms, areas that had been excavated for building stones for the city of Paris. These underground passages and catacombs served as hiding places and escape routes for those hunted by the French police and Gestapo” (Kramer, Naomi. “The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Saved Jews During the Holocaust.” Jewish Book Council, 1 Nov. 2011). The mosque’s staff and community provided refuge and issued false certificates of Muslim identity to hundreds of Jews, particularly those of North African descent, to protect them from deportation. Though the exact number of people saved is debated by historians, “at least 100 Jews, downed Allied airmen, Resistance fighters and escaped prisoners of war, were also spirited to safety” (Jewish Book Council). Their heroic effort provides an example of interfaith solidarity during a period of intense persecution.

This historical backdrop provides a foundation for two key storylines in Meet Me in Paris. Nadim’s story about his great-grandfather, “a forger recruited by the rector to create false papers [and] take in Jewish refugees,” is grounded in these real events—“In [Nadim’s] family home, on the outskirts of Paris, more than a dozen Jewish citizens passed through on their way to safety" (292). His narrative provides a counterpoint to the xenophobia Kayla experiences from her father, emphasizing historic examples of the ways immigrants have strengthened French society through deep acts of courage. As Kayla tells her father:

[M]aybe opening up a society to more viewpoints makes it better […] And maybe you'd be better off if you welcomed people like me—who care about your country and want to be a part of making it stronger and more beautiful. Instead, you're closing your mind to anyone who isn't just like you. (161-62) 

Kayla and Nadim find common ground in their shared understanding of the ways immigrants are woven into the fabric of French history and culture. 

This context also enriches the backstory of Henry and Celeste, whose love story unfolds within the broader apparatus of the French Resistance Network. For example, the Comet Line, an underground pipeline, was formed in 1940 by a 24-year-old Belgian woman named Andree de Jongh “with the aim of helping downed allied airmen return home […]. The escape line started in Brussels, where the men were fed, clothed and given false identity papers, before being hidden in attics and cellars of private houses. A network of 1000 people then guided the airmen south through occupied France” (“Airmen Remember Comet Line to Freedom.” BBC News, 24 Oct. 2000). These resistance efforts exemplify the constant danger and clandestine heroism that defined the era.