Velodrome of Winter

Site and Memorial of the Rafle du Vel d'Hiv (Nazi deportations) from Paris
Originally uploaded by bluebeart

From the garden, we walked over to Boulevard Grenelle and viewed a small memorial to the Jews who died at the Winter Velodrome, or who were then shipped on to Auschwitz. It was a dark moment in France’s history. Arrests started on July 16 and by the end of the next day, more than 13,000 Jews were confined inside a velodrome (cycling arena). The arena had a glass roof which had been painted dark blue to help avoid attracting bomber navigators. The dark glass roof, combined with windows screwed shut for security, raised the temperature inside the structure. The Jews held there had no lavatory access, and they were held there for 8 days with only water and food brought by Quakers, the Red Cross and the few doctors and nurses allowed to enter. Many died, others committed suicide, still others were shot trying to escape. Only 400 survived the confinement and subsequent internment at Auschwitz. There is a plaque at the site of the velodrome itself, which burned in 1959. There is also a bronze statue on a quai near the Seine about 500 yards from the plaque. For years, France denied responsibility for the incident, but in 1995, President Jacques Chirac acknowledged before the memorial the responsibility of France in the roundup and the Holocaust. Credit for much of the above goes to Wikipedia, both the French and English versions. Such a sobering visit invoking all sorts of thoughts about racism. Note that the photo is not mine, but borrowed from Flickr.