The first Generations of the Shoah Forum was held from February 2 to 4, 2019 at the Mémorial de la Shoah and at the Blancs Manteaux space in the Marais in Paris. It brought together for the first time in France, more than 600 participants, who came to attend the various meetings, workshops, conferences, visits and concerts that took place during 3 days. Whether they are survivors of the camps, resistance fighters, hidden children, Righteous or descendants, all generations combined, the many participants came from all over France and even from abroad. They came with friends, family, sometimes over 3 generations, some are activists, many did not belong to any association, but all are concerned, directly or indirectly, by the history of the Holocaust and its transmission.
The organizing committee, with about forty volunteers, worked for nearly a year to build and carry out the program of this exceptional event with the teams of the Shoah Memorial.
57 associations supported this initiative, and many of them were present during the days of the Forum by presenting their activities through stands.
The Forum began on the evening of Saturday, February 2, at the Blancs Manteaux where the participants were welcomed by the organizing committee and the teams of the Shoah Memorial, assisted by young people from different youth movements. They were able to stroll in the space reserved for associations, listen to speeches by Serge Klarsfeld, Jacques Fredj, Eric de Rothschild and the mayor of the 4th arrondissement Ariel Weil. They then attended the preview screening of the film 'Honeymoon' by Elise Otzenberger.
3 conferences and 20 workshops, led by a moderator, a rapporteur and more than 130 speakers took place on Sunday, February 3rd. In the workshops, participants testified, shared and enriched themselves with the experience of others. In the evening, a closing dinner was served to the Blancs Manteaux, punctuated by the speech of our general rapporteur, Serge Moati, and followed by a concert of "Joseph Joseph".
On Monday, February 4, the participants, welcomed by the teams of the Shoah Memorial visited the Paris and Drancy Memorial and participated in memorial trails through Paris, in the Marais and in the footsteps of the Spanish Judeo.
Sharing, exchanges, reunions, transmission were the key words of all these moments. The organizing committee invites you to discover or rediscover the highlights of this unprecedented event through a film, sound and visual recordings of some workshops and conferences, or even read articles written by our rapporteurs.
(Available for consultation in the reading room of the Shoah Memorial)
Workshop A1:We, the survivors of the Shoah, have been understood?
In the presence of Ginette Kolinka, Armand Bulwa and Elie Buzyn. With Katy Hazan (moderator).
(Captation Bernard Lhoumeau)
Workshop A4:We, the descendants, how did the Shoah create our identity?
In the presence of Léna Aboukrat and Audrey Aboab. With Fabienne Rousso-Lenoir (moderator) and Cécile Fontaine (rapporteur).
(Captation Bernard Lhoumeau)
Workshop A5:The Righteous; saved-saviors, bonds for life
In the presence of Séverine Darcque, Agnès Seugnet, Joelle Lise Pethuis, V. Tackian.
With Arielle Krief (moderator), Corinne Melloul (rapporteur).
(Captation Bernard Lhoumeau)
Workshop C2:Transmitting my story through artistic creation
In the presence of Michaël Prazan, Philippe Grimbert, Patrick Braoudé and Milena Kartwski. With Anne Berest (moderator) and Nathalie Zajde (rapporteur).
(Captation Bernard Lhoumeau)
Atelier C4:Perpetuate the culture of my parents (language, cooking, music)
In the presence of Estelle Hulack (YSF, House of Yiddish culture), Florence Kahn (Jewish cuisine), Jacinta (singer), Bernard Vaisbrot (teacher and translator of Yiddish).
With Ariel Sion (moderator) and Alain de Toledo (rapporteur).
(Captation Bernard Lhoumeau)
Workshop C5:Keep or pass on the objects of my family history?
In the presence of Claude Bochurberg, Henry Battner, Sarah Gensburger, Olivier Lalieu. With Alain Lefebvre (moderator), Frédérique Recruté-Flack (rapporteur).
(Captation Bernard Lhoumeau)
Workshop D6:Fighting against contemporary anti-Semitism: exchange between activists, public and community leaders and generations.
With the interventions of Rabbi Michel Serfaty (Jews and Muslims, living in a decomposed society), Richard Odier (Justice in the fight against antisemitism), Annette Bloch, Sacha Ghozlan (Fighting antisemitism on the internet and on social networks), Jonathan Arfi (Community of destinies), Jacques Fredj and Alice Tajchman.
(Available for consultation in the reading room of the Shoah Memorial)
Workshop A3: How did my parents' experience of war influence my life?
In the presence of Alain Aisene, Jean-Claude Grinholtz, Katy Kacmann, Tamar Loinger, Michèle Merowka (moderator), Sandrine Malem (rapporteur)
(Captation auditorium)
Workshop A2:Hidden child during the Holocaust, why did I tell, why did I keep silent?
In the presence of Larissa Cain, Jean Herz and André Panczer. Moderated by Hellen Kaufmann, Corinne Kalifa (rapporteur).
(Captation Bernard Flam)
Workshop A4bis:We the descendants, how the Shoah shaped our identity (second workshop)
In the presence of Elisabeth Malka, Marianne Rubinstein, Claudie Bassi-Lederman (rapporteur) and Yoram Mouchenik (moderator).
(Captation Bernard Flam)
Workshop B1:How to be Jewish after the Holocaust?
In the presence of Léopold Braunstein and Rabbi Olivier Kaufmann. Moderated by Clément Weill-Raynal, Pierre Kukawka (rapporteur of the session)
(Captation Bernard Flam)
Workshop B2:The transmission of the trauma of the Shoah, until when?
In the presence of Boris Cyrulnik, Nathalie Zajde and Mathias Orjekh (rapporteur).
(Captation Bernard Flam)
Workshop C7:In the footsteps of my family history: exchange between archivists, genealogists and generations
Bernard Flam, Geneviève Pichon, Karen Taieb, Philippe Weyl, Fabienne Amson (Moderator), Laurence Klejman (rapporteur)
(Captation auditorium)
Workshop D6:Fighting against contemporary anti-Semitism: exchange between activists, public and community leaders and generations.
With the interventions of Rabbi Michel Serfaty (Jews and Muslims, living in a decomposed society), Richard Odier (Justice in the fight against antisemitism), Annette Bloch, Sacha Ghozlan (Fighting antisemitism on the internet and on social networks), Jonathan Arfi (Community of destinies), Jacques Fredj and Alice Tajchman.
Warning: the rapporteurs had the difficult task throughout the workshops to note as faithfully as possible, the statements of the moderator, speakers and participants. They were also able to note their own impressions and comments. The articles presented here are a summary. The report in its entirety is available for consultation in the reading room of the Shoah Memorial.
