Nissim Zacouto

Nissim Zacouto, scion of an an old Sephardic family, built up a respected wholesale carpet business in 1920s Berlin. After 1933, his Turkish nationality protected him from direct attack by the Nazis. Nevertheless faced with increasing harrassment and trade restrictions, he gradually relocated his business to Paris, finally emigrating in 1939. On France’s occupation, Zacouto went into hiding with his family and narrowly escaped deportation. Nissim Zacouto’s unusual and moving life story is introduced in a foreword by his son Fred Zacouto.