On July 16, 1942, one of the darkest moments of occupied Paris started early in the morning before anyone could open their eyes.
That morning at 4:00 am a mass roundup of Jewish families began, led by French soldiers under the order of German and Vichy officials. A few lucky families heard rumors in advance and were able to flee Paris but 13,152 family members weren’t so lucky. 44% of them were women and 31% were children that were taken to the Velodrome d’Hiver
The Velodrome d’Hiver was a sports arena built near the Eiffel Tower in 1900. In 1902, Henri Desgrange, editor of l’Auto and creator of the Tour de France took it over and turned it into a sporting arena. It held cycling races, roller skating, circuses and boxing matches that Hemingway would attend in the 1920’s. When the Germans arrived in Paris they demanded the keys to the building for what would become a very ugly page in the history of France.
The Germans painted the glass ceiling black, the windows were nailed shut and only five restrooms were in use. The conditions were horrible and frightening and little food was available. The next week they were shipped off to camps and certain death
Near the former location of the Velodrome is the Square de la Place des Martyrs Juif de Vélodrome d'Hiver. Renamed and dedicated by Mayor Jacques Chirac in remembrance to those lost to the hatred of WWII. Sculptor Walter Spitzer created the monument Memorial of the Victims of the Winter Velodrome. Spitzer was a Polish born artist who at 16 years old in 1943 was deported to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Poland then the Blechhammer, labor camp at Auschwitz.
After he was released during the death march he immigrated to France and enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Spitzer devoted his entire life to creating art dedicated to the remembrance of those lost in WWII at the hands of the Nazis.
On July 16, 1995 President Jacques Chirac at the yearly ceremony finally acknowledged the role France had in this horrible moment. In July 16.2017 President Macron took a harder stance saying “It was indeed France that organized this”.