Transmission: Serge and Beate Klarsfeld have donated their archives to the Maison d’Izieu

On 15 December 2022, Beate and Serge Klarsfeld have donated six boxes of original documents about the children of Izieu and their families to the Maison d’Izieu. The Klarsfelds collected these documents from the families as early as 1983 before the Klaus Barbie trial, which ended in 1987 with his conviction for crimes against humanity. There are very varied documents: written statements to the courts in many countries, exchanges between the families and Serge Klarsfeld, original documents relating to the deportations (internment files in the French camps), press cuttings, identity documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, visas), letters, drawings and photographs of the children and members of their families.

Only this work by Serge Klarsfeld made it possible to retrace the path, before and during the war, of every child arrested in Izieu. His work also allowed him to publish his first historical publication Izieu, a jewish tragedy in 1984.

“The Maison d’Izieu is very glad to have received from Beate and Serge Klarsfeld this very rich documentary collection that will allow us to put together many exceptional exhibitions in the future: it is an invaluable mark of confidence for the work the Maison d’Izieu accomplishes. In summer 2022, about 20 documents from this collection have already been exposed in Izieu to keep the memory of Georges Halpern called “Georgy” alive. The memorial-museum that welcomes 33.000 visitors each year and to which Beate and Serge Klarsfeld are very attached, has acquired a valuable tool for passing on and perpetuating the memory of the 44 children rounded up on 6 April 1944.” Dominique Vidaud, director of the Maison d’Izieu.