Vélodrome d’Hiver Roundup Memorial

The Vélodrome d’Hiver Roundup Memorial, located in Paris, France, stands as a reminder of one of the most tragic events in French history during World War II. The Vél’ d’Hiv’ Roundup, which occurred on July 16 and 17, 1942, was a mass arrest of Jews in Paris by French police under the Vichy regime, collaborating with Nazi Germany.

The Vél’ d’Hiv’ Roundup was meticulously planned and executed by French authorities, including René Bousquet, secretary-general of the French national police, and Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, commissioner for Jewish affairs in the Vichy regime. The roundup specifically targeted foreign and stateless Jews, temporarily sparing French Jews from deportation. Approximately 13,000 Jews, including 4,000 children, were arrested in Paris and its suburbs. They were initially held in the Vélodrome d’Hiver, an indoor cycling stadium, under appalling conditions with little food, water, or sanitation facilities.

The detainees at the Vélodrome d’Hiver were kept for five days before being transferred to transit camps around Paris, such as Drancy, Pithiviers, and Beaune-la-Rolande. From there, they were deported to Auschwitz and other extermination camps. The Vél’ d’Hiv’ Roundup marked a significant escalation in the persecution and deportation of Jews from France, with approximately 77,000 Jews eventually perishing in concentration and extermination camps.

The memorial site at the location of the former Vélodrome d’Hiver was inaugurated on July 17, 1994. It features a commemorative monument created by sculptor Walter Spitzer and architect Mario Azagury, representing innocent civilians, including children and a pregnant woman, who were victims of the roundup. Each year, a commemorative ceremony is held at the site to honor the memory of those who suffered and perished during this dark chapter of history.

On July 16, 1995, during the commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of the Vél’ d’Hiv’ roundup, French President Jacques Chirac acknowledged the role of the state and the police in the persecution of Jews and other victims of the German occupation. He stated that France, a nation of Enlightenment and Human Rights, had on that day committed the irreparable by betraying its promise and delivering those under its protection to their executioners.