Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation

France has, in recent years, tried to come to terms with the collaboration of citizens during the German occupation of the Second World War. The events in Paris during the Vel d’Hiv Roundup, have only recently been told to a wider audience thanks in part to the book and film Sarah’s Key.  If you are not familiar with the events, Jews were rounded up by the occupying German forces with the help of local French police. Those who were detained were kept at the Vélodrome d’Hiver (Winter Velodrome), a venue for the 1924 Olympic Games, under appalling conditions. The main round up came on 16-17 July 1942 after officials were careful to avoid the uncelebrated Bastille Day (14 July) in order to avoid any possible spontaneous protests infused with nationalism. (See this New York Times article as well.) Despite the difficulty in coming to terms with collaboration of several French people, President Charles De Gaulle commissioned this memorial in 1962. 

The memorial is located at the tip of Île de la Cité, just behind Notre Dame Cathedral and adjacent to the bridge to Ile Saint-Louis. It is an interesting location; prominent, if not immediately obvious. Location is important, and placing the memorial behind one of the primary tourist location of the city, if not the continent, is an important message. My only complaint (with myself): the last two times I have spent time in Paris have been on Mondays, the only day of the week that the memorial is not open.