C'étaient des enfants: exhibition in Paris

The exhibition has been organised as part of the commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of the Vél’ d'Hiv’ roundup – the mass arrest of French Jews on July 1942. Vel’ d’Hiv’ is the abbreviation of the Velodrome d’Hiver, the velodrome where French police detained those rounded up. Fourteen thousand Jews were arrested, among them four thousand children. They were then transferred to transit camps and, from there, deported to Auschwitz.

The aim of the C'étaient des enfants exhibition is to draw attention to the fate of children during the War. By making them the subject, it shows history from their perspective. The exhibition evokes wartime events – roundups, arrests, detainments in transit camps and deportations to Auschwitz – emphasising the stories of children. In describing the events, the exhibition presents documents, lists, drawings, toys and photographs depicting the stories of specific families. The exhibition is filled with Polish motifs due to the fact that many Jewish families in Paris had their origins in Poland.

Much of the exhibition is devoted to the rescue of children – 80% of them survived the War. This was thanks to the efforts of parents and relatives, as well as Jewish resistance organisations (the most important of which was UGIF – l’Union generale des Israelites de France), which arranged hiding places for the children both in Paris and in the provinces. Children avoided deportation also thanks to the help of individuals – friends, neighbours and even strangers would take them under their care.

The exhibition also touches on the issue of the children’s lives after the War – struggling with the trauma of separation from their parents and, frequently, with a changed identity or religion.  

Address: Salon d'accueil de la Mairie de Paris
29, rue de Rivoli. 75004 Paris

Admission is free.