Figaro: Chirac inaugure aujourd'hui le Mémorial de la Shoah

COMMÉMORATION Jacques Chirac inaugure aujourd'hui le Mémorial de la Shoah
qui rouvre après trois ans de travaux

Au nom des 76 000 Juifs déportés de France

On célébrera jeudi le soixantième anniversaire de l'entrée des Alliés à
Auschwitz-Birkenau. Ce même jour, à Paris, le Mémorial de la Shoah rouvrira
au public. Après trois ans de travaux, l'institution est inaugurée
aujourd'hui par le président de la République, Jacques Chirac. Ce lieu
auparavant connu comme le Mémorial du martyr juif inconnu devient une
référence en Europe pour évoquer l'extermination des Juifs pendant la
Seconde Guerre mondiale, comme le sont le Musée de l'Holocauste de
Washington et Yad Vashem à Jérusalem. Musée et centre de documentation, il
se veut aussi un rempart contre l'oubli. Sur son Mur des noms, il rappelle
que 76 000 Juifs furent déportés de France.

Marie-Douce Albert

Le Figaro
[25 janvier 2005]


«Avant la Shoah était pour moi un chiffre. Horrible, mais un chiffre. Je ne
perçois plus les choses de la même façon.» Marc Mels cherche des mots
justes. Pendant un an et demi, ce graveur d'Alfortville et les autres
membres de sa petite entreprise, essentiellement familiale, ont inscrit dans
la pierre de Jérusalem l'identité des 76 000 Juifs déportés de France entre
1942 et 1944. Pas seulement des noms, mais aussi des dates, de naissance et
de déportation. Marc Mels, ému, dit alors la difficulté «de graver 1942
comme date de naissance et 1943 pour la déportation. Aujourd'hui, ce ne sont
plus des noms, ce sont des personnes».


En passant devant le Mur des noms, des listes interminables, des lignes bien
droites en petits caractères noirs, sobres, sur de la pierre brun clair, le
public ne pourra plus parler de martyr juif inconnu. L'institution où se
dresse désormais ce monument, rue Geoffroy-l'Asnier, dans le Marais à Paris,
s'appelle maintenant Mémorial de la Shoah. Mais la volonté de ses fondateurs
demeure : honorer la mémoire des Juifs persécutés et conserver les documents
attestant l'extermination.


En effet, dès 1943, «des Juifs se sont dit qu'il fallait garder les preuves
de ce qui était en train de se passer», raconte Éric de Rothschild, le
président du Mémorial. Autour d'Isaac Schneersohn, ils ont créé le Centre de
documentation juive contemporaine (CDJC) et rassemblé des archives. «Dans
des circonstances que personne n'a jamais vraiment comprises, ils sont même
parvenus à récupérer celles du service antijuif de la Gestapo», poursuit
Éric de Rothschild. Autant de pièces qui serviront à instruire les procès
qui viendront ensuite.


Dix ans plus tard débutait le temps de la mémoire. Le CDJC a alors entrepris
la construction d'un tombeau pour les victimes de la Shoah. Les architectes
Perzitz, Goldberg et Arretche ont imaginé dans le Marais un bâtiment moderne
dont quelques façades sont une dentelle de béton au motif d'étoiles de
David. Son parvis accueille un cylindre symbolisant les camps de la mort et
en sous-sol une crypte dépouillée, impressionnante, abrite dans une autre
étoile de David, en marbre noir, les cendres de victimes des camps tandis
qu'une flamme brûle éternellement en son centre.


«Schneersohn a voulu ce lieu sur le modèle du tombeau du soldat inconnu.
C'était une façon d'intégrer cette histoire des Juifs à celle du pays tout
entier», explique Jacques Fredj, le directeur actuel. Le Mémorial du martyr
juif inconnu était inauguré le 30 octobre 1956.


Aujourd'hui, le bâtiment d'origine demeure. Il est même classé. Mais après
trois ans de travaux, le Mémorial de la Shoah a triplé de volume grâce à la
mise à disposition de trois immeubles par la ville de Paris ainsi que des
gains d'espaces obtenus en creusant le sous-sol. Le projet, financé pour
moitié par le Mémorial et pour moitié par les pouvoirs publics et mené par
les équipes des architectes François Pin et Antoine Jouve, a permis à
l'établissement de disposer d'un auditorium, d'un espace d'exposition
temporaire (lire ci-dessous) et de nouvelles salles pédagogiques. L'ancienne
bibliothèque, si belle avec les escaliers croisés desservant la mezzanine et
sa voûte en pavé de verre, a été entièrement déshabillée, réordonnée et
augmentée d'une deuxième salle de lecture. Partout l'aménagement où le bois
domine se veut chaleureux et sobre.


Ce souci de simplicité se retrouve dans la galerie d'exposition permanente
qui enveloppe désormais la crypte, en sous-sol. Dans un décor de béton brut
et de cimaises noires, on raconte la Shoah en Europe et en France, toujours
en rappelant au travers de documents, d'objets personnels et de témoignages
que l'histoire est aussi faite de destins individuels. Le parcours s'achève
sur les visages de bébés ou d'adolescents, souriants ou sages. Les photos de
quelque 2 500 des 11 000 enfants qui furent déportés sont exposées là. «Il
s'agit là de rappeler que nous sommes au coeur du crime contre l'humanité,
de la volonté d'éradiquer tout un peuple puisqu'on a exterminé aussi ses
enfants», explique Jacques Fredj.


Il s'agit sans doute aussi de toujours redonner une identité aux victimes.
Ces noms, Le Mémorial voudrait n'en oublier aucun. Le Mur des noms comporte
des espaces vierges pour pouvoir accueillir ceux qui manquent. Et, à
l'extérieur, dans l'allée des Justes, c'est le nom des quelque 2 000
personnes qui en France aidèrent les Juifs qui sera inscrit.

17, rue Geoffroy-l'Asnier à Paris (IVe). Entrée libre excepté pour les
expositions temporaires ou les manifestations à l'auditorium. Tél. :
01.42.77.44.72. www.memorialdelashoah.org


http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/20050125.FIG0143.html

sufaud writes:

COMMÉMORATION Jacques Chirac inaugure aujourd'hui le Mémorial de la Shoah
qui rouvre après trois ans de travaux

If the relatives of all other people massacred in the world throughout
history were as diligent about constructing endless monuments as these,
there would be no room for any other structures on land.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
sufaud writes:

COMMÉMORATION Jacques Chirac inaugure aujourd'hui le Mémorial de la Shoah
qui rouvre après trois ans de travaux

If the relatives of all other people massacred in the world throughout
history were as diligent about constructing endless monuments as these,
there would be no room for any other structures on land.

If people would be as honest about the Holocaust as they are about other
genocides, there would be no need for so many monuments.

Susan

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Susan Cohen writes:

If people would be as honest about the Holocaust as they are about other
genocides, there would be no need for so many monuments.

What aspect of the "Holocaust" are people being dishonest about? It's
true that Jews were not the only people killed by the Nazis, despite
occasional efforts by some people to create the impression that they
were the only victims. It's true that it was not the only massacre of a
category of people in history, despite occasional attempts to create the
impression that it was one of a kind. It's true that it was not the
greatest such massacre in terms of raw numbers, despite occasional
attempts to create the impression that it was.

--
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"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
Susan Cohen writes:

If people would be as honest about the Holocaust as they are about other
genocides, there would be no need for so many monuments.

What aspect of the "Holocaust" are people being dishonest about?

Well, thatit even HAPPENED for one thing.
Or have you missed the existence of the entire newsgroup dedicated to this
lie?
Many of these people are slyer than that: they only lie about the numnber of
Jews kilkled inthe Holocaust.
It is odd, isn't it, that they never lie about the number of any other group
killed in the Holocaust?

It's
true that Jews were not the only people killed by the Nazis,

And who said anything different?
How interesting that it's the first thing of which you think to mention.

despite
occasional efforts by some people to create the impression that they
were the only victims.

The only ones who focus on the Jews are the Jew-haters (see my first
statement)

It's true that it was not the only massacre of a
category of people in history,

And no one ever said that, either.

despite occasional attempts to create the
impression that it was one of a kind.

But it certainly was unique, as people other than Jews (because you have
made yourself obvious) have pointed out.

It's true that it was not the
greatest such massacre in terms of raw numbers, despite occasional
attempts to create the impression that it was.

And again, no one has ever said this either.

Susan

It was the first and only time that half of the world's population of
an ethnicity, to the degree of six million, were systematically
slaughtered by industrial means.

No other slaughter -- Not the Armenians, the Rwandans, the Cambodians
-- not any -- has met that ghastly criterion.

Although the world did and does stand by doing nothing while genocides
take place, they are not to that degree: the systematic, idustrial
slaughter of an entire ethnic group numbering in the millions (with a
target, presumably of over ten million to be slaughtered).

"Markku Grönroos"

Changing nyms to avoid killfiles is the hallmark of a loser.

wrote in message
...

"Susan Cohen" kirjoitti viestissä
newshxJd.12834$HT6.2494@trnddc04...

Bugger off from rec.travel.europe. You have an odd practice to span this
insane filth

Coming from insane filth, this is a compliment.

to usenet groups whose scope definitely is not jews or anything
like that. stay away

I notice the sleazebag doesn't chew out anyone else - like the person who
INITIATED the x-post - just the JOOOOOO.


Susan

On 25 Jan 2005 12:36:31 -0800, wrote:

It was the first and only time that half of the world's population of
an ethnicity, to the degree of six million, were systematically
slaughtered by industrial means.

So you are saying the ETHNICITY is important? Not to me. They are all
people, and it's all history that cannot be undone. Why should their
ethnicity even be considered important now that virtually all the
Nazis are dead? It's just not a factor in this day and age.

No other slaughter -- Not the Armenians, the Rwandans, the Cambodians
-- not any -- has met that ghastly criterion.

No. They met other ghastly criterion. Stop trying to overstate what
happened to the Jews.


Although the world did and does stand by doing nothing while genocides
take place, they are not to that degree: the systematic, idustrial
slaughter of an entire ethnic group numbering in the millions (with a
target, presumably of over ten million to be slaughtered).

It was a long time ago, forget about it.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

Susan Cohen writes:

Well, thatit even HAPPENED for one thing.

There is overwhelming evidence that it did indeed happen, although the
details are sometimes a bit fuzzy.

Or have you missed the existence of the entire newsgroup dedicated to this
lie?

There are some 70,000 newsgroups on USENET, and I haven't reviewed them
all.

Many of these people are slyer than that: they only lie about the numnber of
Jews kilkled inthe Holocaust.

The exact number is very difficult to determine, so there's no way to
prove that anyone is lying or telling the truth.

It is odd, isn't it, that they never lie about the number of any other group
killed in the Holocaust?

See above.

And who said anything different?

Nobody explicitly says it, but it is strongly implied, since most other
victims are routinely ignored.

How interesting that it's the first thing of which you think to mention.

It's the emphasis of most discussions about the Holocaust.

The Holocaust is also rather unique in that it has been given a name (it
might even be a registered trademark now--I'm not sure). Most mass
murders and genocides never receive a special name.

The only ones who focus on the Jews are the Jew-haters (see my first
statement)

There are a number of groups that focus only on Jewish victims, and they
are not all "Jew-haters."

And no one ever said that, either.

But other massacres are never mentioned, either, leaving the impression
that this one was unique or the largest in history.

But it certainly was unique, as people other than Jews (because you have
made yourself obvious) have pointed out.

There were some aspects of it that were unique, but that's true of all
mass exterminations.

--
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nitram writes:

Which people?

Many groups have a direct interest in maintaining and enhancing the
story of the Holocaust. Sometimes it is referred to as the "Holocaust
industry."

Many of these groups try to transfer communal guilt felt by non-Jewish
persons for the Holocaust to Israel, such that they become conditioned
to believe that any questioning of Israeli policy is somehow tantamount
to approval or a repeat of the Holocaust--even though there's no
connection between the two.

I don't recall anybody ever making a secret, about who was
exterminated.

I don't recall anyone ever advertising it, either, except for one
category of victims.

--
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