Par
Editorial The Republic of Seine and Marne
Published on
Nov 7, 2024 at 6:02 a.m.
See my news
Follow The Republic of Seine et Marne
He went to meet the inhabitants of Donnemarie-Dontilly (Seine-et-Marne) on the occasion of the Cultural Café on Saturday October 26. François-Guillaume Lorrainjournalist for The Point and writer, came to present his latest essay We had to help them: when the Righteous save Jews in France (Flammarion editions).
“They saved a 9-year-old child”
The town of Donnemarie-Dontilly celebrates each year its Righteous Among the Nations*, Émilienne and Robert Guillet, who protected a Jewish child during the Second World War. “This couple hid Maurice Bergher, 9 years old at the time, for four years,” says Sandrine Sosinski, mayor of the town. “His parents were arrested and deported to Auschwitz.” In 2019, an alley was named in their honor, along the Auxence, a place that has become a place of symbolic memory for the inhabitants of the town and future generations.
*The title of Righteous is awarded in the name of the State of Israel by the Yad Vashem memorial.
A meeting in Jerusalem
“The starting point of this book is a double medal ceremony for two women Righteous among the nationsone in Paris and the second in Sarthe, explains the author. I discovered a whole world where this type of commemoration still exists, even though people have died for many years. »
What interests him is the resonance work between the chain of memory that exists today and the chain of mutual aid that was built link after link during the World War II.
“I met François-Guillaume Lorrain in Jerusalem during a trip organized by Yad Vashemsays Sandrine Sosinski, mayor of the town. He had noticed me when I slipped a rose under the names ofÉmilienne and Robert Guilletthe Righteous of Donnemarie-Dontilly, whose history he discusses in his book (read box). »
“What’s more beautiful than saving a life? »
For his part, the writer selected around fifteen files during his meetings. It is their story that he tells in his latest work, for which he is a finalist for the French literature prize Renaudotthe result of which will be known on Monday November 4.
“In this collection of stories, I highlight the courage of the Righteous among the nations who saved Jews during the nation's darkest hours and ultimately it is almost the banality of everyday life that I evoke, but what is more beautiful than saving a life? », he concludes.
Book on sale on all specialized sites.
Tariff : 23 €.
Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.
