Mémorial de la Shoah is the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

museum in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The memorial is in the

4th arrondissement of Paris The 4th arrondissement of Paris (''IVe arrondissement'') is one of the twenty Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''quatrième''. Along with the 1 ...

, in the

Marais Marais (, meaning "marsh") may refer to: People * Marais (given name) * Marais (surname) Other uses * Le Marais, historic district of Paris * Théâtre du Marais, the name of several theatres and theatrical troupes in Paris, France * Marais (com ...

district, which had a large Jewish population at the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The memorial was opened, by President

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

, on 27 January 2005. This day was chosen to coincide with

International Holocaust Remembrance Day The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an list of minor secular observances#January, international memorial day on 27 January that memorialization, commemorates Holoca ...

and the 60th anniversary of the liberation of

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

. The memorial underwent a major renovation in 2005, creating exhibition spaces, a multimedia center, and a reading room.

Areas of the memorial

Forecourt

The forecourt of the memorial above the memorial crypt, includes a circular memorial listing the names of the death camps and the

Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (, officially , ; ) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the Nazi Germany, German authorities within the new General Government territory of Occupat ...

. There is also a wall with seven bas-reliefs by Arbit Blatas that symbolize the camps and the persecution of the Jews. The facade of the building, above the forecourt, has two inscriptions. First, a line from an adaptation of Deuteronomy 25:17 by Zalman Schnoeur (translated from Hebrew): Second, a quote from

Justin Godart François Pierre Marie Justin Godart (26 November 1871 – 13 December 1956) was a French lawyer and politician who served as the Minister for Health from 3 June 1932 to 18 December 1932. Biography Justin Godart was born into a working-class ...

, Minister of Health and Honorary President of the Committee for the Unknown Jewish Martyr (translated from French):

Wall of Names

Several walls that make a passageway to the building list the names of the approximately 76,000 French Jews who were deported and murdered by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. They are listed alphabetically by year of deportation.

Crypt

The crypt predates the Mémorial de la Shoah; in 1957, the ashes of victims from the different death camps and the Warsaw Ghetto were buried in dirt from Israel. A door from the Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp in France faces the tomb.

Jewish files

The Jewish files are located in a small room near the crypt. They were created by the

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

government to identify Jewish citizens, and were later used by the Nazis to locate Jews for deportation.

Exhibit rooms

The memorial's permanent exhibit documents the history of

French Jews The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but Persecution of Jews, persecution increased over time, includ ...

during the Holocaust. The materials on exhibit include photographs, text, and video and audio recordings. The memorial also includes an auditorium, bookstore, multimedia learning center, documentation center, and the Room of Names (research room).

The Wall of the Righteous

Since 1963, the Museum Memorial of

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

(Jerusalem) has awarded the title "Righteous Among the Nations" to non-Jewish people who helped save Jews during the war. As of 2014, this wall lists 3,300 people, either French or acting in France, who have been awarded this title. The wall runs alongside of the memorial.

Vandalism

In May 2024, the Wall of the Righteous was vandalised with red hand graffiti. French President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

condemned the vandalism as "odious anti-Semitism", and Paris authorities filed a criminal complaint. A few suspects were arrested in the case. Investigators were reportedly investigating whether the perpetrators of the vandalism did so at behest of somebody else, perhaps Russian security services.

Gallery

The_Wall_of_the_Righteous.jpg, The Wall of the Righteous The_wall_of_Names.jpg, The Wall of Names Crypte_au_Memorial_de_la_Shoah_(Paris).jpg, The Crypt Part of a barrack in the Shoah Memorial (Paris).jpg, Part of barrack #6 from Beaune-la-Rolande camp

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Memorial de la Shoah Museums in Paris Jewish museums in France Jews and Judaism in Paris History museums in France Holocaust museums Buildings and structures in the 4th arrondissement of Paris Le Marais World War II museums in France