Apr 27 2008
Day 12 - Paris
Today was our last full day in Paris. We began the day by going to the Memorial de le Shoah which was the first Holocaust memorial in Europe. At one time, many people were upset that the memorial was in France and not in Israel. This memorial was dedicated solely to the French-Jewish population that was deported during the Holocaust. The Shoah Memorial Center collects names of the victims from the German National Archive and displays them alphabetically on walls made of stone. The names included in this archive are proof that they were deported from France during the Holocaust. However there are millions of people whose names weren’t documented in this archive, and unfortunately cannot be included in the memorial because there is no definitive documentation. After viewing the memorial, we toured the museum which included a tomb in the shape of the Star of David, filled with ashes from victims of concentration camps. Our tour guide gave us in-depth answers to our many questions concerning France’s involvement in the war and the Holocaust. After the tour, we walked down Avenue Des Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe where we were given free time. We all decided to spend our time exploring the beautiful city of Paris. We climbed the Eiffel Tower, shopped on the Champs, visited museums, viewed the sites, and relaxed in the City of Lights. We concluded the night by hanging out in front of the Eiffel Tower, taking pictures, eating crepes, making human pyramids, and releasing our emotions. We enjoyed every minute because we knew this was our last night. It was a bittersweet night because after this trip graduation would only be weeks away. This has been a once in a lifetime experience that has shaped our perspectives on the past and will influence our futures based on what we have learned about history and ourselves.
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