The Vel d'Hiv roundup, July 16-17, 1942, between history and memory As part of the 75th commemoration of the Vel d'Hiv roundup

The buses and police cars used to transport the Jews to the Vélodrome d'Hiver during the roundup, parked in front of the stadium, Paris. France, July 16, 1942. Shoah Memorial/BHVP.

As the extermination of the Jews spread to Western Europe at the turn of 1942, France experienced the first mass roundups in preparation for deportations, decided by the Third Reich and implemented with the collaboration of the Vichy regime. The most important and most emblematic is the roundup that took place in Paris and the Paris region on 16 and 17 July 1942. 13,152 Jews were arrested, including 4,000 children. Other roundups took place in both the northern and southern areas.

An exceptional meeting is proposed in the presence of witnesses and historians to go back on these tragic days and better understand the issues.

PROGRAMME

Opening speech: Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris.

Historical introduction: Serge Klarsfeld, historian, president of the Association des Fils et Filles des déportés juifs de France.

Testimonies by Milo Adoner, Rachel Jedinak, Yvette Levy, and Joseph Weismann.

Conclusion by Jacques Fredj, director of the Shoah Memorial.