The mission of the Shoah Memorial, created in secret in 1943, is to transmit and teach the consequences of racism and antisemitism in history, that of the Holocaust and genocides, throughout France, Europe and the world. Educate against anti-Semitism, racism, and hatred of others that lead to barbarism.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas, an Islamist terrorist organization intent on murdering Jews and destroying the state of Israel, carried out a barbaric massacre of defenseless civilians. Elderly people, young girls and children were murdered, raped, and taken hostage.
We are all overwhelmed, bruised, and in solidarity with the State of Israel and its entire population, just as we were with the victims and their families after Montauban, Toulouse, the hyper-kosher, Charlie Hebdo, the Bataclan, Nice and all the murderous Islamist terrorist attacks that have hit our country. Notably those who caused the deaths of teachers Jonathan Sandler, Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard. In France and Israel, Islamist terrorism has only one face: that of barbarism and hatred.
We are especially thinking of the 240 hostages held by Hamas, among them 40 children, including one infant. 40 French people were murdered and 8 are missing, some of whom are among the hostages. We also think of our fellow historians, our counterparts at Yad Vashem, the kibbutz of the Warsaw ghetto fighters, Massua and all the survivors of the Holocaust.
Events in Israel and Gaza have led to an unprecedented rise in anti-Semitic acts, not only in France but worldwide. Alongside security, political and legal responses, education plays a central role.
The mission of the Memorial is to educate against Barbary and hatred of others by teaching the consequences of racism and anti-Semitism in the history of the Shoah and genocides. We teach tolerance by valuing the values that underpin our republic and democracy.
The Memorial tries, through education, reflection, and the development of critical thinking, to dismantle stereotypes and prejudices as well as all forms of propaganda whose risk is extremist, complotist, anti-Semitic, racist, or negationist indoctrination.
Not a Frenchman will be free until the Jews enjoy the fullness of their rights. No Frenchman will be safe as long as a Jew in France and throughout the world can fear for his life " Jean Paul Sartre, 1946, in "reflection on the Jewish question"
The Shoah Memorial will continue and expand its action with determination, in particular its work of education against the consequences of intolerance, anti-Semitism and racism in the history of the Shoah and genocides.
