Tag: The Vél’ d’Hiv Roundup

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Something Must Be Done

Sandy and I have decided to take off the month of August regarding the creation of two new blogs. We will switch our focus this month to finishing the second volume of the German occupation of Paris (Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters?). We’re so close to wrapping up the new book that I am going to put blinders on and focus one hundred percent on completing it.

 In the meantime, we are “repurposing” two of our prior blogs for August. Two weeks ago, we expanded and reprinted the 2017 blog, The Sussex Plan and a Very Brave Woman (click here to read the blog). Today, we are presenting a blog that was published in 2019. Over the years, we have received many e-mails from people who knew Suzanne’s children, Bazou and Pilette. It was very interesting (and amazing) to hear their stories.

Do you ever wonder how rather obscure stories are resurrected from history’s dust bins? In the case of today’s blog, we have Anne Nelson to thank for uncovering the story of Suzanne Spaak’s resistance activities. Anne is the author of Suzanne’s Children (refer to the recommended reading section at the end of this blog for a link to her book). Anne came across Suzanne while researching her excellent book, Red Orchestra (again, refer to the recommended reading section). A haunting photo of Suzanne found in Leopold Trepper’s memoirs piqued Anne’s interest and initiated her nine-year journey. She was able to locate Suzanne’s daughter, Pilette, in Maryland and a series of three dozen interviews spread out over seven years formed the backbone of Anne’s research. There isn’t much out there regarding Suzanne’s story, so we owe many thanks to Anne for finding and “bird-dogging” the facts surrounding Suzanne’s activities. I’m quite sure she went down many rabbit holes while researching and writing the book. I have read both books and I look forward to Anne’s next book.

 I briefly introduced you to Suzanne Spaak in March (The French Anne Frank; click here to read). She and Hélène Berr worked together to save the lives of hundreds of Jewish children. Like most of the résistants during the Occupation, Suzanne and Hélène did what they thought was the right thing to do. As Suzanne told people, “Something must be done.”

Suzanne Spaak. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Read her story at "Something Must Be Done" - Stew Ross Discovers
Suzanne Spaak. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).

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Stew and Sandy’s Summer Vacation in the U.K.

 So, we come back to our slide show after a four-week intermission (click here to read the blog, Stew and Sandy’s Summer Vacation in Paris). Hopefully you enjoyed a rather lengthy blog about our adventures in Paris. I tried to mix a travelogue with historical tidbits.

So, settle back once more and join us during our days in the U.K., specifically London and Glasgow. Make sure your drink is filled and buttered popcorn is plentiful.

The 1950s family slide show. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
The 1950s family slide show. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).

Did You  Know?

Did you know that on 16 July, France officially remembered the 80th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv roundup? The country is frantically trying to collect eyewitness accounts of this tragic two-day event in which more than thirteen thousand Jews in Paris were arrested and ultimately deported⏤most of whom never returned. (click here to read the blog, The Roundup and Cycling Arena) The survivors of the roundup and in particular, those detained at the Vel d’Hiv are now in their mid-to-late 90s and there are few of them remaining. Previous roundups targeted primarily foreign-born Jewish men. However, by mid-1942, French-born Jewish men, women and children were targeted for arrest. (More than half of the Jews arrested over those two days were women and children with children accounting for four thousand of the detainees in the large cycling arena.)

The Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris (i.e., Holocaust Museum and Memorial) has launched an appeal to find the last witnesses and survivors. The historians know thousands of stories are permanently lost but they are constantly amazed how many witnesses show up to recount their stories. In most cases, it is the first time since the war that these people have talked about their experiences. Despite eighty years later, their memories are as fresh as if the events happened yesterday.

Joseph Schwartz was fifteen at the time of the roundup. He lost his entire family after the French police made the arrests. He said, “You leave your parents one day, everything is fine. They kiss you; they tell you, ‘Take care of yourself,’ and the day after, there is nobody left.” Looking back, Joseph is shocked that the French police were granted medals for resistance. He says, “Preserving the memory is always necessary for a nation. Hiding the dark days of a country brings nothing to the future of that country.”

Cover for volume two of “Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters? Roundups & Executions.” The cover image is the only known photograph taken during the Vel d’Hiv roundup in July 1942. Transport buses are lined up outside the Vélodrome d’Hiver. Photo by anonymous (c. July 1942).
Cover for volume two of “Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters? Roundups & Executions.” The cover image is the only known photograph taken during the Vel d’Hiv roundup in July 1942. Transport buses are lined up outside the Vélodrome d’Hiver. Photo by anonymous (c. July 1942).

 

Day Eight: Underground to London 

Today was travel day on the Eurostar. We were leaving Paris and going to England via train under the English Channel. I’m glad we got to Gare du Nord earlier than normal. It took us more than one hour to go through six check points. We eventually settled into our seats for the two-and-a-half-hour trip. Believe it or not, the actual time in darkness is less than twenty minutes. We were really under the channel for probably only fifteen minutes⏤the train travels very fast. We pulled into London’s St. Pancras International rail station just in time for lunch.

Arriving at St. Pancras rail station⏤where were all these black taxis when we needed them? Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
Arriving at St. Pancras rail station⏤where were all these black taxis when we needed them? Photo by anonymous (date unknown).

A short cab ride away was our hotel, Dorset Square Hotel, facing the private Dorset Square. On the way, we were glad to see that the red double-decker buses did not go the way of the red telephone booths. The cabs remain black in color but probably twenty percent of them are electric and they are all quite roomy. After checking in and leaving our bags, off we went to find Harrods Department Store. Dinner that night was at The Rajdoot, a small Indian restaurant right around the corner from the hotel⏤it was an excellent culinary experience. (While traveling in England and eating Indian cuisine, we have never had anything less than a first-class meal.)

The iconic London double-decker bus. Photo by Sandy Ross (12 June 2022).
The iconic London double-decker bus. Photo by Sandy Ross (12 June 2022).
One of the main entrances to Harrods department store. Photo by Sandy Ross (12 June 2022).
One of the main entrances to Harrods department store. Photo by Sandy Ross (12 June 2022).

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