An educational project at
Lycée L. S. Senghor Évreux High School
2020-2021
Our school hosts the National Resistance Day
27 May 2021
Here are 3 texts written in English aspart of a work on History and memories of WW2.
These texts mention students' work on the deportation as seen through the lives of Ida Grinspan and Ann Franck; another text deals with the Liberation of Normandy in 1944
Johanna Mendy and Sélène Viron wrote this text
about Ida GRINSPAN:
Ida Grinspan was a French woman deported to Auschwitz and a survivor of the Shoah.
Her parents were deported and murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942 for her mother and in 1944 for her father.
Following this terrible story, Ida lived an ordinary life and managed to find her brother, but this experience remaind engraved in her memory. In 2002 she published a book entitled J'ai pas pleuré (I didn't cry) in which she shares her story and gives us a moving and upsetting testimony.
Ida died on 24 September 2018 in Paris ; she was 89.
WHO WAS Ida Grinspan ?
Ida Grinspan (born Fensterszab) was born in Paris on 19 November 1929 into a non-practising Jewish family of Polish origin. Her parents and brother had left Poland five years earlier to escape anti-Semitism. At the age of 10, she went to live with a nanny in the Deux-Sèvres.
HER DEPORTATION
One day she received a letter from her father announcing that her mother had been arrested in the Vel d'Hiv round-up. One year later, on the night of 30 January 1944, Ida was arrested. After many hardships and a long journey, she arrived in Birkenau on 13 February 1944.
She managed to avoid the gas chamber thanks to her appearance, which aged her, and was then assigned to several commandos. In January 1945 the Germans evacuated Auschwitz and Ida underwent the terrible "death march" which finally took her to Ravensbrück. She caught typhus and in May 1945 Soviet soldiers evacuated her to the military hospital. Finally, she returned to France on a Canadian plane and learned that she would not see her parents again, only her brother, who had also been deported, and who would suffer severe mental scars as a result.
AFTER AUSCHWITZ
Ida was repatriated to France on 30 May 1945 and spent some time convalescing in Norman Switzerland a little over a year before returning to an ordinary life, far from what she had experienced.
André Biaux in a school library
Watch the TV report
Here
Anne Frank: the life of a child under a reign of terror
Marcia & Camelia wrote this text
A powerful testimonial anchored in our memory
Anne Frank is born the 12th June 1929 in Germany. With the rise of power from the
Nazi and their antisemitism Anne and her family decided to move to Amsterdam. Anne
fits really well with the atmosphere of her new home.
The 10 May 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherland. Slowly the Germans installed a
policy of anti-Semitism. The Jewish community sees all their rights being took. They
have to wear a yellow star so the others can see that they are jewish.
On the spring of 1942, Anne and her family were hidden for the first time in the Annex.
For her 13th birthday, Anne received a diary where she started to write everything about
her feelings and her days in hiding. The 4th August 1944, Anne’s hiding place was found out.
Anne was deported to a concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. She wrote about
everything that happened. Anne and her sister Margot were taken to another camp
Bergen-Belsen where they died, in February 1945.
We may mention 3 persons who were essential to the sharing of this history
Hermine « Miep » Gies worked for Otto Frank, Anne’s father. She and her husband
moved to a house near to the Frank’s. One day she received a call from Otto Frank who told her about his plans to hide with his family.
She, her husband and the other helpers establish a routine to take care of
everyone in the Secret Annex, they did so for 2 years.
On 4th August the Dutch police arrested everybody hiding there, when Miep arrived she found the diary and kept it, because she thought that Anne would some day come back home.
When she found out about Anne’s death she handed over the diary to Anne’s dad.
Bep Voskujil, she was the youngest of all those who helped in the Annex; she also worked for Otto Frank. She helped the hiders for 2 years and she became very close to Anne because they were both young. They had a strong link. She was with Miep when they found the diary.
She had a daughter that she called Anne in honor to Anne Frank.
Otto Frank, was the only survivor of the whole family. He came back from Auschwitz
and found out about the death of his family. He received and read the diary. He wanted
to realize her daughter last wish, to be published. Two years after the ww2 he
published the diary. It was translated on more that 7 languages. Otto Frank fought for
Human rights.
Thanks to these 3 persons we have the opportunity to be aware of the things that
happened and its our job to never forget Anne’s history and share it.
Juin 1944 NORMANDIE – L’été de la libération
PARTIE EN ANGLAIS
Lilou & Lina wrote this text
Since their defeat against Germany and the armistice signed between the two Nations on June 22, 1940, Alsace is annexed to the french people and France has been divided into two parts:
- The northern part (as well as the western part) is subject to German occupation
- The southern part is subject to the Vichy regime, under the authority of General Pétain (having participated in the First World War and more precisely in the Battle of Verdun as a general).
The liberation of Normandy began on June 6, 1944 with the landing of Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy, called "Operation Overlord". On that day, more than 150,000 soldiers of different nationalities (British, American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand as well as the French resistance and the allies) landed on Normandy soil with the objective of retaking the port of Cherbourg and the city. of Caen in the hands of the German occupation.
This operation was a success but engendered many fights after.
Caen was targeted by 3 assaults between June 7 and July 1, 1944 by the British officer Montgomery. On July 7, 1944, the city was bombed and gradually liberated between July 9 and July 19, 1944.
The capture of the city of Cherbourg and its port will be won by the allies on June 26, 1944 despite the damage inflicted on the port during the clashes. It will be repaired and will be put back into operation on July 21, 1944.
On August 9, the Americans seized the city of Le Mans. There followed the liberation of the town of Aigle (August 22, 1944) and Bernay (August 24, 1944). The liberation of Lisieux and Paris on August 25, 1944 marked a decisive turning point in this operation.
It was the liberation of Rouen on August 30, 1944, which marked the end of the liberation of Normandy. This operation lasted a total of 2 months and 23 days and involved the intervention of more than 3 million soldiers.
Despite the pandemic, students have been able to continue meeting -or at least interviewing - people about their memories. They have sent questions to Miss O'Donohoe, in London, and made some research about what they showed about living conditions in wartime Britain.
Follow the link:
Here
Students present their work outside school
Some students were able to chat with former journalist and author Rosemary Rudland
Other students presented the book of accounts on the Forum's bookshop
December 2020
Interviewing US citizens, online
Nephew to the late WW2 veteran Paul Andert, Mike has kindly agreed to exchange views about the news in the US with a school group, in English