Friday 4 – Sunday 6 September

On Sunday, from the French side of the mountains, the Marche will leave from le Boréon to meet the Italians at the col de Cerise.

[This route is the same as last year, as the road leading to the Madone de Fenestre will not be reopened this year, due to flood damage.]

Activities will take place in Saint Martin Vésubie, except where stated. The Marche de la Mémoire itself starts higher up the valley in le Boréon.

Events are free of charge, except for meals which are chargeable and must be booked in advance. All events are open to the public. Bookings are not required for the Marche de la Mémoire itself, but please do fill in our questionnaire.

Please let us know you’re coming Whether you plan to attend one event or the entire weekend, please complete this brief questionnaire so we know who to expect:

Programme

Friday 4 September

14:30 – 15:40

(In Nice) Visit to the Museum of the Resistance in the French Riviera (Musée de la Résistance Azuréenne) to look at exhibits connected to the local Jewish wartime story. At Le Phare, place des Mosaïques, Arénas, 455 Prom. des Anglais, 06200 Nice. From there, attendees heading to Saint-Martin-Vésubie can take the Line 3 tram from nearby Grand Arénas to the Les Arboras / Université stop, then catch the 16:40 bus service (Line 90) directly to Saint-Martin-Vésubie.

19:30 – 22:00

Shabbat dinner, at Salle Jean Gabin, place de la Gare. Paid reservation required (€30): (Deadline: 31 August at 16:00 French time). Menu options: – Order fish dinner – Order vegetarian dinner Note: Special dietary requirements can be specified during checkout.

Saturday 5 September

10:00 – 11:30	Guided walking tour of Saint-Martin-Vésubie. Meet under the arcade of the Town Hall (Mairie), place de Gaulle.
11:30 – 12:00	Official opening of the Saint-Martin-Vésubie 1943 exhibition at the former Tourist Office, opposite the Mairie.
15:00 – 17:30	Talks at the library (médiathèque), 52 bd Lazare Raiberti, on the theme of the Jews of Saint-Martin-Vésubie in 1943: – The Deportees of Convoy 64 by Louise Guedj, researcher, via videoconference. – Twenty years of the Marche de la Mémoire (2001-2021) by Jean-Louis Panicacci, honorary professor at the University of Nice. – Round table with descendants of Jews and Righteous Among the Nations of Saint-Martin-Vésubie in 1943, and a wartime resident.
20:00 – 21:00	At Salle Jean Gabin, place de la Gare: – Filmmaker Sophie de Maglaive presents Le Clézio, Étoile errante du Mercantour (Wandering Star of the Mercantour), part of ARTE’s Invitation au Voyage, and discusses making it. The documentary traces how Nobel Laureate J.M.G. Le Clézio drew on his wartime childhood in the Nice hinterland to commemorate the 1943 tragedy of Jewish refugees crossing the Franco-Italian border. – Joël Savier then performs songs by Jean Ferrat: Nuit et Brouillard (Night and Fog), a solemn collective tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, and Nul ne guérit de son enfance (No one recovers from their childhood), Ferrat’s autobiographical reflection on his personal trauma after the loss of his father during the Holocaust.

Sunday 6 September

Marche de la Mémoire

Make sure you are prepared for a walk with 1050m height difference, reaching 2550m, and possible bad weather.

07:30	Meet outside the reception chalet at le Boréon, before starting the climb to the Col de Cerise. (Parc Alpha, D89 Chalet d’accueil du Boréon, 06450 Saint-Martin-Vésubie. See Google Maps)
12:00	Reunion with the walkers from the Italian side at the Col de Cerise pass. Followed by speeches, songs and the sounding of the shofar.
13:30	Commence the descent back to le Boréon.

Alternative programme in Saint Martin Vésubie

For those unable to participate in the climb, an alternative programme is held in Saint Martin Vésubie.

10:00	Meet at the café Brasserie les Alpes, for coffee and conversation. (3 Place de Gaulle, facing the town hall)
11:00	Meet outside the café Brasserie les Alpes, then walk along the Chemin de Berthemont to the Stolpersteine memorials in memory of the Dridso family. An easy 20-minute walk, each way.
12.30	Lunch together. Paid reservation required: Order lunch in SMV (€15)
14:30	In Memoriam of the filmmaker André Waksman (1936-2025) : a screening of his film 1943, A Pause in the Holocaust, followed by a discussion. Filmmaker André Waksman, who recently passed away, fled Saint-Martin-Vésubie as a child. Waksman made this moving 2009 documentary to tell the story of the temporary sanctuary Jewish refugees found in the valley under Italian occupation. Combining personal accounts – including his own – with historical insights, the film captures an improbable haven of Italian protection amidst surrounding persecution. At Salle Jean Gabin, place de la Gare.

After the Marche de la Mémoire

17:30	Ceremony at the war memorial, allée de Verdun, in front of the monuments to the Righteous Among the Nations and the Deportees, in the presence of the Mayor of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, Jean-Christophe Teobaldi, and a representative of Yad Vashem Nice Côte d’Azur. The names of the deportees will be read.
18:30	Refreshments in the Town Hall, offered by the Municipality.