Commemoration and inauguration of the “Wall against oblivion” at the Maison d’Izieu

Friday 26 January 2024

On the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance and of Prevention of Crimes against Humanity, the Maison d’Izieu organised a commemorative ceremony.

Initiated by the European ministers of education in 2002, this day was officially proclaimed International Day of Remembrance of Holocaust victims in 2005 by the United Nations general assembly. One of its aims is to teach young people to “be vigilant, to defend democratic values and to fight intolerance”. This symbolic date corresponds to the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp on 27 January 1945.
Every year, a tribute is paid to the 44 children and 7 educators of the House, victims of the roundup of 6 April 1944 before their deportation and particularly to Léa Feldblum, 25-years-old at the time, who was the only one to survive.

This year’s ceremony was animated by the students of the Lycée du Val de Saône from Trévoux. They payed tribute to all of the adults of the home, not only the ones deported, but also those who survived and helped rescuing over 60 children. With a succession of ‘I am…’ phrases, they brought each of them back to life.

Program

Opening of the commemoration ceremony
Alexandre Nugues-Bourchat, Mediation and Education manager at the Maison d’Izieu

Official speeches
Thierry Philip, President of the association Maison d’Izieu
Marilyne Rémer, Academy inspector, academic Director for national Education in the Ain department

Tribute, reading of the names, laying of the roses
By the students of the Lycée Val de Saône de Trévoux

Minute of silence

The ceremony was followed by the opening of the ‘Wall against oblivion’ exhibition, a European Rememchild project.

REMEMCHILD aims to retrace the trajectories, experiences and memories of children in wartime, with a particular focus on the Second World War and the immediate post-war period, in Western and Eastern Europe, in countries that were occupied and/or collaborated with and then liberated by the Allies.
The aim of this project is to create a ‘Wall against oblivion’ and to participate in a digital platform run by the University of Madrid and the Guernica Peace Museum.

Three classes, supervised by their History-Geography, Literature, Italian and Visual Arts teachers, created the works exhibited in the orchard of the Maison d’Izieu:

• • the 4th class 6 from Collège Sabine Zlatin in Belley
  • the Arts Focus class from Lycée du Bugey in Belley
  • the vehicule maintenance classes from Lycée professionnel François Cevert in Écully

They were supervised by Chloé Colin, photography artist and vidographer from the association BLICK Photographie, and by Roman Kroke, interdisciplinary artist and member of the Scientific Council of the Maison d’Izieu.

Two other “Walls”, created by Italian and Spanish students, are revealed at the Fondation Fossoli (Italy) and the Guernica Peace Museum (Spain).

Speeches

Cyrielle Forses, Project manager at the Maison d’Izieu
Iratxe Momoitio, Director of the Guernica Peace Museum
Cyrille Mangin, Director of the Collège Sabine Zlatin
Roman Kroke, artist
The students of the Lycée François Cevert
The students of the Lycée du Bugey

Snacks were offered to the students after the presentation of their work.
Thanks to Brioche Pasquier for supplying the pitch-pastries