UBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" ‘They rose up against the unacceptable’ Monday, April 19, 2010       5 Iyar, 5770        -- -- create JPOST.COM your Home Page       --   Home | Headlines | Iranian Threat | Jewish World | idea | Trade | true Estate | Local Israel | Blogs | Arts & Culture | Français  | Classifieds  Israel | Middle East | International | Health & Sci-Tech | Features | go | Cafe Oleh | Magazine | Sports | Israel Guide | Subscribe | Services Archives JP Toolbar Christian World Youth Magazines RSS Feeds News Ticker More Services JPost Store Israel Hotels Vacation Rentals Philanthropy Green Israel Israel Real Estate Car Rentals Learn Hebrew JPost Mall Sderot Dove JP Travel Guide Links Christian World Advertise on JPost Media Kit לימוד אנגלית Astrology      Breaking News -- Breaking News     JPost.com Jewish World Jewish News   .large_body p, .large_body span { font-size: 18px; } .small_body p, .small_body span { font-size: 12px; } Photo by: Yonith Benhamou ‘They rose up against the unacceptable’ By YONITH BENHAMOU 19/04/2010 17:53 Descendants of French Righteous Among Nations visit J'lem on Holocaust Remembrance Day, meet with grandchildren of Jews their grandparents saved.   Most people in European nations would like to cease being haunted by the ghosts of their past, to plod on to the future. Some Holocaust survivors in Israel would like to stop delving back into this past and the psychological and physical toll it took on them. Nevertheless, the Biblical injunction zechor (‘remember’ in Hebrew) compels us not to forget. In fact, it is our duty to teach, to pass on.In this vein, an uncommon initiative was created by the France-Israel Foundation in decree to pass on the stories of the Righteous Among Nations – those unique non-Jewish men and women who saved Jews throughout World Conflict II. Nicole Guedj, the president of the foundation and a previous French minister, launched the project ‘Memoirs of the Righteous,’ in which the noteworthy-grandchildren of the Righteous Among Nations hold a trip to Israel.“For me, it is a major duty to hold alive the memory of those who acted as heroes of France and who stood up to oppose the Nazi barbarity,” Guedj stated of the project.And so, a delegation of twenty young people between the ages of 20 to 35 took portion in the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Jerusalem while visiting Israel and its capital for the first time. Judging by their radiant faces and admiring expressions, it was clear that they would remember the emotionally charged visit for years.Gregoire Lepigeon-Bonnafous, 24, and Pierre Collardey, 30, both great-grandchildren of Righteous Among Nations and members of the French delegation, both proudly accepted the task of passing on the memory of their great-grandfathers. “The reaction of the righteous Among Nations was apolitical; there was no real ideological aspect and much more a humanist dimension,” said Gregoire. “It was about to rise up against something unacceptable, and this is what we should mainly remember.”Pierre explained why his generation was compelled to disclose their great-grandparents’ stories and vouch for their courage. “It is necessary to stay watchful. [The Holocaust] can happen again. I judge this is why this initiative has to continue,” he said.The tale of the ‘ excellent guys’ is sometimes into the background. Guedj remarked, “France was not only collaborators. For this reason, it is only just to re-establish the truth, as well as to perpetuate the memory of the Righteous Among Nations." History indeed took its space at the forefront of the journey after the Holocaust memorial ceremony, when some of the youths met with Jewish peers whose relatives had been rescued from the claws of the Nazis by the delegates’have great-grandparents. The great grandmother of Adeline Lelievre, 28 years feeble, agreed in 1941 to conceal an 8-year-old girl named Berthe Badehi in her home in the Savoie region of France at the behest of a Jewish family from Lyon. “She took care of me for 3 years. They were the most pretty years of my childhood. They are still my family, my Christian family from France. We are not a Jewish or Christian family, yet a family all the same,” testified Berthe, holding Adeline’s hand affectionately. Berthe lives today in Jerusalem and is also a volunteer at the Yad Vashem museum. She returns to Savoie regularly. Adeline was deeply moved by the encounter. “I’m so proud! I will pass this story on to my children and grandchildren. We youths are lucky, we have the power to pass it on,” she said. Upon beholding the strong impact of the visit on the youths, Guedj has only one anxiety: “Now I am afraid I won’t be able to do it again.”       Rate this article         Talkback Add a Talkback describe Abuse Read all Talkbacks   Send big little Print       Most Talkbacked Mount Herzl ‘Hall of names’ ...State marks Remembrance Day; Peres: We’re a nation that yearns for ...Talkbacks (24)18/04/2010 20:34 pleased Independence Day wishes from ...Even though Palestinian and Israeli narratives are different, our vision for ...Talkbacks (22)19/04/2010 04:55Barak: Peace requires courageous decisionsDefense minister speaks at Remembrance Day ceremony in TA Uni.Talkbacks (15)18/04/2010 18:44     Righteous Among Nations Holocaust France Savoie World War II Nazism                 Israel Focus   Check out our unique deals!   Jerusalem Post LiteLight Edition of the Jerusalem Post for English improvement Travel   Tamir Rent a carCar rental in Israel, special prices   Archeological Guided Tours     Web JPost.com     JPosts Sites: The Jerusalem Report JPost Mall Philantropy Center Green Israel Jpost Edition Francaise Invest in Israel Christian World America's Voices Our Magazines Sites Of Interest: Car Rental Israel Car Rental in Israel Jpost Store Israel Hotels Vacation Apt. 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