News 2024
Meeting at the Lycée d’Arsonval
December 2, 2024
How do you end a calendar year well when you want traces not to fade? Talking about the past seems a good solution, before the eraser of time does its work.
Invited by two history teachers at the Lycée d’Arsonval in Saint-Maur, on Monday, December 2, 2024 I met 75 final-year pupils taking the HGGSP specialism (History-Geography, Geopolitics and Political Science), as part of the topic “History and memories”, and specifically “The Jewish and Gypsy genocide”. The pupils had already watched the documentary “Le Réseau Marcel, Histoire d’un Réseau juif clandestin” and, the previous week, had seen the film “The Zone of Interest”.
In the footsteps of Jesus in Nice
December 29, 2024
Le Jour du Seigneur and Présence Protestante invite you on a unique journey to the heart of the city of Nice, a few days after the celebration of the Nativity. Guided by the journalist Christelle Ploquin, this travelling programme sheds light on the history, traditions and distinctive identity of the capital of the Côte d’Azur.
From the santon figurines of the hinterland, the hospitality of this city facing the Mediterranean and the heritage of the Penitents to the imprint of Marc Chagall, this exploration reveals the spiritual and cultural richness of “Nissa la Bella”. The programme also includes tributes to the victims of the attack on the Promenade des Anglais on July 14, 2016 and to the Marcel network, which saved many Jews during the Second World War.
Finally, this edition highlights local Christian commitment through solidarity and creative initiatives such as “l’atelier d’Alfred”, “le cyclo sourire” and the preparations for the famous Nice Carnival.
Happy Hanukkah!
December 23, 2024
Dear children, dear friends,
As the lights of Hanukkah begin to brighten our homes and our hearts, the association Les Enfants et Amis Abadi sends you its warmest wishes for a Hanukkah filled with peace, joy and hope.
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, reminds us every year of the strength of the spirit in the face of adversity, the victory of freedom over oppression and the importance of perseverance in making light triumph over darkness. At a time when the winds of intolerance sometimes blow with worrying intensity, the message of Hanukkah is more relevant than ever. It invites us to be bearers of light, to affirm our values of tolerance and mutual respect, and to light the way for others with kindness and solidarity.
This time of year offers us the precious opportunity, every evening as we light the candles of the menorah, to reflect on how we can illuminate the world through our everyday actions.
For our association, Hanukkah is an important symbol in our mission of remembrance and education. Every candle we light is a testimony to our commitment to building a world where future generations can live free and in peace. The lights do not shine for themselves alone; they illuminate everything around them, bringing warmth and clarity to all. In this spirit, let us work together to spread light, not only in our own homes but also in our neighbourhoods, our schools, our workplaces and beyond. Every gesture, every word of encouragement, every action helps push back the darkness of hatred and ignorance.
May these eight days of lights be for each of you an opportunity to find hope again, to celebrate the miracles of everyday life and to reaffirm our collective ability to change the world for the better. May this festival be a spark that inspires acts of kindness and generosity throughout the coming year.
With all our friendship and our wishes for a happy Hanukkah
Les Enfants et Amis Abadi
Death of Jeannette Wolgust
November 10, 2024
It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of Jeannette Wolgust, a hidden child and the founder of our association, on November 5, 2024.
For Jeannette
It was grey that morning at the cemetery in Noisy-le-Sec, where the branches of the trees bore their last yellow leaves.
Jeannette Wolgust’s heart stopped on the morning of November 5, leaving me as if struck by lightning. There are blank pages on which it is hard to write. The blank page is Silence, and great sorrows are mute, but I want to bring her fully to life among us – to recall her strength, her energy, her many commitments, her testimonies, her tenderness.
Art and memories (the Shoah through art)
November 4, 2024
On October 18, we had the pleasure of seeing an event that had been in preparation for several months come to life: “Art and memories (the Shoah through art)”, held at the Centre Maurice Ravel (Paris 12th).
Memory is volatile by nature. If we are not careful, memory fades away with the women and men who pass it on. Despite its weight, the memory of the Shoah is no exception to this truth. Our association’s mission is precisely to ensure not only that the memory of the Marcel network founded by Odette and Moussa Abadi is preserved, but also, more broadly, that the memory of the Shoah is kept alive. There are a thousand ways of anchoring memory. We tell stories, we paint, we draw, we sing, we write books and plays, we act… Art, in all its forms, is a vehicle for memory – for memories.
Death of Aïda Eibenschutz
October 19, 2024
For Adly.
Aïda Eibenschutz, Adly to those close to her, an Abadi “Child”, has broken away not only from this Abadi family but has left me alone in our family bond. She died on October 6.
Death of Claude Hayem
October 10, 2024
We are sorry to learn of the death of our loyal friend Claude Hayem on October 4, 2024. Claude’s mother was Odette’s first cousin.
Claude was born in Paris, in the 14th arrondissement, on March 5, 1933 (the date of Hitler’s rise to power, as he liked to point out ironically). He lost his father very young, at the age of seven months. He wore the yellow star from July 1942, the month in which, aged nine, he watched from his window as groups of Jews were arrested and taken to the Vel d’Hiv by the French police. He left Paris with his grandmother, his mother and his aunt for Périgueux, the official place of refuge for the people of Strasbourg, where his family came from.
2024 commemoration for Odette and Moussa
September 3, 2024
Once again this year, we will gather around Odette and Moussa to honour their memory and that of the values that led them to found the Marcel network.
The commemoration will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 6 p.m.
Unlike in recent years, this commemoration will no longer take place at Montparnasse cemetery. As the years go by, the cemetery’s narrow paths make the grave difficult for some to reach. A new, more accessible and more comfortable venue will therefore welcome us this year. The commemoration will take place at
The synagogue of the Communauté juive libérale d’Île-de-France (CJL)
11 rue Moufle, 75011 Paris
Rabbi Pauline Bebe has done us the honour of agreeing to officiate on this occasion.
As is traditional, the commemoration will be followed by a friendly drink.
Do come along!
TRIBUTE TO VICTOR KUPERMINC, LOYAL FRIEND OF THE FRENCH COMMITTEE FOR YAD VASHEM
August 16, 2024
By Jean-Pierre Gauzi, former secretary general of the French Committee for Yad Vashem
In its June 2024 review, the French Committee paid tribute to Victor Kuperminc, who recently left us. You will find the tribute below, reproduced in the original French.
Victor Kuperminc est né en 1933, à Paris où son père Abram était arrivé en 1925, rejoint en 1927 par son épouse Rachel (Ruchla) et leurs deux premiers enfants, Fanny 5 ans et Benjamin 3 ans. La famille était originaire de Przedborg, 'shtetl' situé à 150 km au sud de Varsovie, sur la rivière Pilitsa. Abram s'établit comme tailleur, et la famille s'agrandit avec la naissance de trois garçons en 1927, 1929 et 1933. Les parents et les deux enfants nés en Pologne sont naturalisés par décret du 25 mai 1940.
Unveiling of four plaques in Grasse
July 15, 2024
How did this project begin? More than 20 years ago, a film told of events that had been forgotten, except by a few “hidden children” – children whose lives had been saved thanks to a couple: Odette Rosenstock and Moussa Abadi, two young Jews fleeing Paris, who had taken refuge in Nice. The city was in the free zone, then under Italian occupation for ten months before enduring the German occupation.
Odette and Moussa decided to help the persecuted Jewish children. To do so, they contacted Monseigneur Rémond, Bishop of Nice, to ask for his help, as well as Pastors Gagnier and Evrard. Together they set up the Marcel network, which would save 527 children from deportation and death.
Lycée professionnel Les Palmiers (Nice): a film about the Marcel network
June 19, 2024
Mahé, Joanna, Harmonie, Mélissa, Nassur, Mathis, Tom, Salim and Shemsy made a film entered for the 2024 Resistance Competition. They are pupils at the Lycée professionnel Les Palmiers in Nice, in a first-year vocational class training as security officers, aged between 15 and 19.
During a remembrance trail with two hidden “children”, they learned about the Marcel network, and through the departmental archives they discovered the extraordinary story of Moussa and Odette. The pupils were particularly moved by it and decided to look into these “heroes” who had taken such risks to save children.
3rd Shoah Generations Forum: “Laughter through tears”
June 1, 2024
Report by Andrée Poch-Karsenti
The 3rd “Shoah Generations” Forum was held from May 18 to 20, 2024.
Odette and Moussa were powerfully present at this third Forum. Wonderful moments of sharing and emotion, and workshops each more interesting than the last.
On Saturday, May 18, at the Collège François Couperin, many people wandered among the information stands of all the associations. Ours was not to be outdone. The four panels telling the story of the Marcel network were on display under the attentive eyes of Françoise and Jean-Marc Gagnier, who had come to lend a hand welcoming interested visitors.
Weeks of Remembrance in Paris
March 29, 2024
On Friday, January 19, 2024, a few days before the official commemoration of the Deportation, I got to know a new school: 23 avenue du Parc des Princes, in Saint-Cloud.
Armelle Gonzalez-de-Trébons is the new head there. Two final-year primary classes were waiting for me, girls and boys – almost two hours during which “Les Petits Princes 1 and 2”, with curious eyes and attentive faces, let their questions fly, with the Marcel network as the backdrop.
Death of Féodor Merowka
March 5, 2024
We are saddened to learn of the death of Féodor Merowka on February 28, 2024, in his 97th year.
Born in Wiesbaden on September 25, 1927, Féodor left Germany in 1933 with his parents for Liechtenstein. He arrived in Nice in 1934 and went to school at Fuon Cauda (the first plaque put up by AMEJDAM).
Before the war, he was a Protestant scout with Pastor Gagnier.
2024 General Meeting
February 28, 2024
This year, the association’s Ordinary General Meeting will be held on:
Sunday, March 17, 2024
at 2.30 p.m.
At the home of Pierre and Coline Loeb
23 BOULEVARD D’ARGENSON
92200 NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE
The agenda is as follows:
President’s report
Treasurer’s financial report
Vote to renew the Board of Directors and the executive committee
If you are unable to attend, you will find below a proxy form to return to us so that your vote can be counted at the meeting.
We are counting on your participation
Death of Victor Kuperminc
February 27, 2024
It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of Victor Kuperminc on Saturday, February 24, 2024.
Our grief is immeasurable, so much was Victor a pillar of our association. Although he was not strictly speaking a hidden child, he still had to hide his Jewish identity in Paris in the midst of the storm, using tricks such as hiding the yellow star on his chest behind his schoolbooks. Victor was also, and above all, the husband of Marthe, a hidden child. He was her unfailing support until her death in April 2023. He held the purse strings of our association efficiently and faithfully for very many years. He was the friend of the Abadi Children. His constant presence will mark the history of Les Enfants et Amis Abadi for ever.
THE BEIT PROJECT
February 11, 2024
The Beit Project continues its mission across France, Europe and the seas to fight racism, social exclusion and discrimination. In this spirit, Lucy Winckelmann, her team and David Stoleru invited me in November 2023 to the town hall of the 10th arrondissement for the presentation of pupils’ work produced in the Buisson Saint-Louis neighbourhood of Paris. Five secondary schools were represented, as well as the IME Suzanne Cordes.
SHOAH GENERATIONS FORUM
February 4, 2024
“Act” and “Pass on” are the key words of this 2024 edition. More than 60 associations will be present. We will meet in shared discussion workshops and lectures. We will share friendly moments during evenings devoted to our countries of origin, combining culture, food, music, humour and Jewish traditions. The organising committee wished to pay tribute to the victims of October 7 at various moments of the Forum, in support of Israel.
For the third time in France, the Shoah Generations Forum brings together Shoah survivors, hidden children, Jewish fighters, their descendants, associations for the memory of the victims and of the fighters, and the French Righteous Among the Nations and their descendants. These days of exchange and sharing are for all generations who, marked by the Shoah in their family history, wish to come together and talk freely.
The Lycée d’Arsonval in Saint-Maur
January 8, 2024
It was October 10, 2023, two days after that dark October 7 that was in everyone’s mind. Invited by Mrs Corneloup, history teacher at the Lycée d’Arsonval in Saint-Maur, I found myself facing about seventy-five final-year pupils who had already watched the DVD “Le Réseau Marcel”, to explain, present and talk about these heroes who wrote part of the History of their time.