Published
Video length: 1 min
Roundup of Izieu: the duty of memory continues 80 years later
Roundup of Izieu: the duty of memory continues 80 years later
(franceinfo)
To commemorate the Izieu roundup, during which 44 Jewish children were kidnapped 80 years ago, their house was transformed into a space of memory.
The names of the deported children are inscribed on a stele. Samuel, Roger and Diane lived in a house in Izieu (Ain) during the Second World War, but left before the roundup. They are the last to be able to testify. In April 1944, 44 children were rounded up on the orders of Klaus Barbie. From now on, photos, letters and moments of life before their deportation to Auschwitz are exhibited in the house.
36,000 visitors per year
“We have names, faces, but especially for our young audiences and the distance being compared to the years, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that it is as much humanity that is shown”, explains a speaker. Young French and European people are invited to think about the origins of barbarism: stereotypes, racism or anti-Semitism. “I think this story is very important because it must never happen again”, says a young girl. The Izieu house welcomes nearly 36,000 visitors per year, half of whom are schoolchildren.
