A commemorative plaque honoring a couple recognized as Righteous Among the Nations and their daughter, who saved a child during the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, was vandalized in central Paris last week.
The plaque, which honors Arsene et Angele Richard and their daughter Marcelle for saving the life of 13-year-old Edmond Rajchman, was broken down the middle and is now missing most of the words.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire condemned the incident on Friday, saying “At a time when antisemitism is growing every day in our society, and on the eve of the weekend commemorating the Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, I want to reaffirm my unwavering support for the Jewish community.”
'Their memory remains undiminished'
“Paris is, and will remain, a city that stands against all forms of hatred,” he wrote.
“The fight against antisemitism will always remain an absolute priority of my political commitment,” he added.
“To attack the Righteous is to desecrate the entire universe,” said Alice Rufo, deputy defense minister. “The plaque will be restored. Their memory remains undiminished. In the face of antisemitism, in all its forms, the Republic will not yield an inch.”
What was the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup?
The Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup, which took place on 16 and 17 July 1942, involved the mass arrest of 13,152 Jewish men, women and children (4,115 total) in Paris by French police. Most of the captives in Paris were taken to the Velodrome d’Hiver (Vel d’Hiv) in the 15th Arrondissement of Paris, near the Eiffel Tower.
The Jewish prisoners were kept in the Velodrome for five days, with no toilet, washing facilities or fresh air. Some were driven to take their own lives, and many were shot.
It was the largest roundup of Jews carried out in France during World War II. The number from the roundup alone represents more than a quarter of the 42,000 Jews deported from France to Auschwitz in 1942. The arrests were carried out with the assistance of 9,000 French police officers and gendarmes on the orders of the Vichy government.
“Faced with a criminal regime that sought to erase our national motto, the Righteous ensured its meaning and strength were preserved,” Gregoire wrote following the commemorative ceremony on Sunday. “They leave us with the ongoing imperative to combat all forms of hatred, racism, and antisemitism.”
The Paris Police said the “duty of remembrance is also the responsibility of pursuing with force and determination the struggle against all expressions of hatred.”
It called the destruction of the plaque “an unspeakable act” and said the police are working hard to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators “in order to bring them before the justice system.”