During World War II, as the Germans occupied France, many Jews fled to Nice and became destitute refugees. It was not easy for them to find even a hotel room for temporary lodging, as hotels feared that the refugees would be unable to pay and refused to accept guests who could not prove that they had money.
Witnesses related that already then the Rebbe’s concern for every Jew was evident. He possessed a one-hundred-dollar bill, a very substantial sum in those days. He would stand at the train station and wait for Jewish refugees. When he encountered such a family, he would lend them the bill so that they could present it at the hotel and thereby obtain a room. Afterwards he would receive the bill back and lend it to another Jewish family. In this way, he succeeded in providing a roof over the heads of many refugee families.
