Memory of the Holocaust

Mémorial de la Shoah 17 Rue Geoffroy l'Asnier, Paris, France + 33 (0)1 42 77 44 72 http://www.memorialdelashoah.org/ www.facebook.com/MemorialShoah/?ref=ts www.youtube.com/user/memorialdelashoah

The Shoah Memorial originated during the 1945 war, with the creation of an underground archive to collect evidence of the persecution of the Jews. The Centre de documentation Juive Contemporaine was later joined by the Mémorial du Martyr Juif Inconnu. Today, the Memorial is an essential place for the transmission of the memory of the past.

Comprised of three departments, the archives, the photo library and the library, the Shoah Memorial is today the largest documentation center in Europe devoted to the history of the Shoah and the fate of the Jews during the Second World War. Its documentary collection is constantly growing thanks to deposits, donations and purchases. It also manages the archives of organizations, personalities and individuals.

Since its creation in 1943, the Centre de documentation juive contemporaine has been collecting documents bearing witness to the fate of the Jews of France and Europe during the Second World War, and to the history of Jewish communities before and after the Shoah. Today, the CDJC's collection is still enriched by the donation of private archival documents and by the deposit of archives of organizations or personalities who had a link with the history of the victims during the war.

Memorial to the deported

Behind Notre Dame across rue de l’ Archeveché, is Square de l'Ile de France. A small gate on the right side of the Square leads to a memorial to the unknown World War II deportee. Inside are the names of the German death camps where 200,000 French men, women, and children, Jews and Christians, were murdered. As you leave, the French words above the door speak volumes – “Forgive, but do not forget!"

Exit the square, turn right, and walk along rue de la Archeveche to the Pont St. Louis (a foot bridge), which will be on your right. Cross it and you’ll be on the Ile St. Louis, one of Paris’ most charming neighborhoods. This is a good place to stop and just enjoy the city around you, or take a stroll up and down rue St. Louis-en-l’Ile, stop for a snack, or just take in the atmosphere.

Once you have crossed the bridge, bear left onto rue Jean-du-Bellay and continue on as it becomes Pont Louis Phillipe. Walk across the bridge to the other side of the Seine and continue as the street becomes rue du Pont Louis Phillipe. At rue de Hotel de Ville make a right turn, walk one block, and turn left onto rue Geoffrey l’Asnier.

At # 17 is the Memorial of the Unknown Jewish Martyr (Tel: 01-42-77-44-72). This is one of the most moving Jewish sites in Paris. It stands as a memorial to the nearly six million Jews who were murdered by the Germans and their accomplices. Begun in Grenoble during World War II as a means of documenting German atrocities, the museum has been expanded over the years since it was built in 1956 and contains displays of documents and photographs of Nazi camps. The building also houses a library and archives and is a valuable research institution. (Note: at press time the memorial is closed for renovation.

Exit the memorial onto rue Geoffrey l’Asnier and turn left. Walk to the end of the street, turn right onto rue Francois Miron and then left onto rue Tiron. Walk the short distance to rue de Rivoli, cross the street, and turn right until you get to rue Pavee.