Neshama: a European network of young ambassadors to bring the memory of the Holocaust alive

On the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the Shoah Memorial has once again gathered, transmitted and brought to life the memory of the victims of the Holocaust through a series of events.

This year was marked by the launch of Neshama, an initiative led by the Shoah Memorial with the support of the European Commission, whose objective is to ensure the sustainability of the memory of the Shoah by relying on the active engagement of young generations, so that they, in turn, become memory smugglers on a European scale.

For its first edition in 2026, Neshama brings together young ambassadors from France, Germany, Croatia, Greece and Poland, in close contact with sites of remembrance, institutional partners, schools and students from all over Europe, thus creating a transnational network of transmission, reflection and citizen engagement.

These ambassadors also participated in the rekindling of the flame at the Arc de Triomphe on 27 January. The official ceremony on January 27, organized in the crypt of the Shoah Memorial and broadcast live on YouTube, was conducted by the ambassadors of memory in the presence of Alice Rufo and Anne Hidalgo.

Several testimonies punctuated this commemoration, notably that of Charlotte Barillet in front of schoolchildren, broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Shoah Memorial, as well as those of Jacques Brones at Paris Dauphine University PSL and Esther Senot during the ceremony organized at the Sorbonne by the academic delegation to memory, history and citizenship, in partnership with the Shoah Memorial.

A solemn ceremony was also organized by UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris. The heart of the ceremony was devoted to the screening of a short film Les Immortels, directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, followed by the presence of Mr. Léon Placek, survivor of the Shoah, as well as Camille Marty.

Other highlights included the presentation of Les Immortels to schoolchildren at France Télévisions, with Éric Toledano, in the presence of Joseph Romano for his documentary Après eux, as well as commemorative ceremonies held at various sites of the Memorial, notably at CERCIL and Chambon-sur-Lignon.