We visited the Concentration camp recently at Rivesaltes also know as Camp Joffre in the dept of the Pyrénées Orientales. I have visited this place before and found it very moving and upsetting, and wanted to go back and say a prayer and pay my respects for all the Jews that were held there. The darkest period for this place was in 1942 when 2,251 Jews including 110 children were transferred from Rivesaltes via the Drancy interment camp to Auschwitz, were they were murdered. Today the site is being restored....
More information can be found here.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_de_Rivesaltes
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| The entrance |
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| The Barracks |
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| The long walk to the entrance |
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| Watch Tower |
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| Remains of the barbed wire fencing |
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| Being restored |
How very sad. I've visited a concentration camp in Germany and it is almost unbearable, isn't it? Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletehello,
ReplyDeleteIn 1942, my mother was a prisoner at Rivesaltes camp She was 4 years old. She was there with her parents. They all managed to escape when her father paid someone to smuggle them out of the camp. They then travelled to Switzerland. They all survived the war and emigrated to the USA and Canada.
Bless You for saying prayers at the camp site!
Sincerely,
Leah
Thank you for your comment Leah, your mother was a very brave 4yrs old, and thankfully all escaped, how traumatic for them all. Lovely to hear they moved on and made a wonderful life for themselves.
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