Later in the evening of September 29, the Villa Masséna hosted Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, writers, historians, and Holocaust Memory activists, to present them with the title of honorary citizen of the city of Nice.
Earlier, they participated with civil authorities in the unveiling of a stele at the Villa Jacob, a Holocaust memorial site, in the presence of representatives from the Yad Vashem Committee Nice Côte d’Azur, including its president, Daniel Wancier.
Beate and Serge Klarsfeld have spent their lives highlighting the crimes committed by former Nazi officials, as well as the deportation of Jews from France. They have always been tirelessly committed to memory, truth, and justice.
“It was September 30, 73 years ago. In the night, I heard a truck noise that woke me up immediately. It was the big roundup. My father had prepared my sister and me for this situation. He had built a wooden partition in the closet to hide us when the day came. He opened the door while we held our breath behind the wardrobe. He left, and we never saw him again.” Thanks to the bravery of his parents, Serge was spared.
Today, he returns to the city where he grew up to receive, with his wife, the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Nice, presented by Christian Estrosi, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, Philipe Pradal, Mayor of Nice, and Eric Ciotti, Deputy, President of the Department of Alpes-Maritimes.
