"Death to the Jews"...

[swl]

How does a place name just go unnoticed for centuries?     Do the inhabitants call it something else?

In that case the name is not used (the place is not a town contrary to what the first post says, the town is called Courtemaux) so it does not appear in their address or on the road signs, so I guess no one really gives a sh**t.

[swl]

This. which is why Sanchez (hyperbolically albeit) is correct.

Well if that's it, Sanchez is incredibly naive.

[swl]

I read about this story a little bit, and what informed people say is that "La Mort aux Juifs" meant "The Death of the Jews" in Old French when the place was named like that. Few centuries later the language has evolved and "La Mort aux Juifs" means more "Death to the Jews" now.
"Mort aux Juifs" could be translated to "Death to the Jews" without any doubt, but the "La" makes it more complicated. "La Mort aux Juifs" does not really mean anything in modern French.

I find is surprising that some people in New York are somehow offended by the name of a place with 4 houses in the middle of nowhere in France, but if it can make them sleep better I think the name could be changed. Anyway, the local council will ultimately decide what they want, and I don't know if they really care about the sensitive feelings of these people in the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
On the other hand, if they don't change the name this year, they will probably have problems again in 20 years the next time one of the houses is for sale.