searchers
are liable to throw out a case at the last moment if thereâs no
room, it depends on their mood (they belong to the Jewish
Affairs police, either fascists or anti-Semites). Still, that has
its uses. Iâll get my belongings sorted out. Donât panic the
moment you stop hearing from me, keep calm, wait patiently
and with trust, have faith in me, reassure my mother that,
having seen departures for the Beyond (as I told you), I prefer
to be on this journey. My main regret is to be parted from my
pen, not to be allowed paper (an absurd thought crosses my
mind: knives are forbidden, and I donât even possess a simple
key to a can of sardines). Iâm not putting on a brave face,
donât have the heart in this atmosphere: a lot of the sick and
infirm are also picked for deportation. Iâm also thinking of
Rd, hoping that he is safe at last. I had all sorts of things with
Jacques Daumal. Probably no point in moving my books out
of the house now, I leave it to you. Letâs hope we have good
weather for the journey! Make sure my mother receives all her
allowances, get the UGIF to help her. I hope youâve made it up
with Jacqueline by now, she is a strange girl, but good at heart
(the sky is clearing, itâs going to be a fine day). I donât know if
you got my usual card, or if Iâll get an answer before we leave.
I think of my mother, of you. Of all my loving friends who
did so much to help me keep my freedom. Heartfelt thanks
to those who helped me âget throughâ the winter. Iâm leaving
this letter unfinished. Itâs time to pack my bag. Back soon.
A note in case I canât finish, pen and watch are for Marthe
whatever my mother says. I kiss you good-bye dearest Maman,
and you my dear ones, with all my love. Be brave. Itâs 7 A . M .,
back soon.
Â
1. Roger Gompel was the director of a chain of department stores, including Les
Trois Quartiers. He was interned at Drancy but later released.
.................
T WICE IN APRIL 1966 I SPENT A SUNDAY IN THE EASTERN districts of Paris, looking for some trace of Dora Bruder
in the areas around the Saint-Coeur-de-Marie and Tourelles.
I felt this was best done on a Sunday, when the town is
deserted, at the lowest ebb of the tide.
Nothing is left of the Saint-Coeur-de-Marie. A modern
apartment block stands at the corner of the Rue de Picpus and
the Rue de la Gare-de-Reuilly. The section that has replaced
the schoolâs tree-shaded wall now displays the last odd
numbers in the Rue de la Gare-de-Reuilly. Opposite, a little
further along on the even-numbered side, the street is
unchanged.
Itâs hard to believe that one July morning in 1942, while
Dora was interned at Tourelles, the police had come to arrest
nine young children and adolescents at number 48 bis, where
the windows overlooked the garden of the
Saint-Coeur-de-Marie. Itâs a five-story building in light-colored brick. On each
floor, two windows flank two smaller windows. Number 40
next door is a grayish building, recessed. In front of it, a low
brick wall with an iron gate. Other small houses opposite, on
the same side as the perimeter wall of the old boarding school,
have remained as they were. Number 54, just before you reach
the Rue de Picpus, used to be a café owned by a Mlle Lenzi.
All of a sudden, I felt certain that, on the night when she
had made her escape, Dora had slipped away from the
boarding school by the Rue de la Gare-de-Reuilly. I visualized her,
hugging the school wall. Perhaps streets named after a station
evoke thoughts of escape.
I wandered around for a while, and then the sadness of
those other Sundays when it was time to return to the
boarding school began to weigh me down. I felt sure that she left
the métro at Nation. She put off the moment when she must
enter the gate and cross the courtyard. She prolonged her
walk, choosing streets at random. It grew dark. The Avenue
de Saint-Mandé is quiet, bordered by trees.
are liable to throw out a case at the last moment if thereâs no
room, it depends on their mood (they belong to the Jewish
Affairs police, either fascists or anti-Semites). Still, that has
its uses. Iâll get my belongings sorted out. Donât panic the
moment you stop hearing from me, keep calm, wait patiently
and with trust, have faith in me, reassure my mother that,
having seen departures for the Beyond (as I told you), I prefer
to be on this journey. My main regret is to be parted from my
pen, not to be allowed paper (an absurd thought crosses my
mind: knives are forbidden, and I donât even possess a simple
key to a can of sardines). Iâm not putting on a brave face,
donât have the heart in this atmosphere: a lot of the sick and
infirm are also picked for deportation. Iâm also thinking of
Rd, hoping that he is safe at last. I had all sorts of things with
Jacques Daumal. Probably no point in moving my books out
of the house now, I leave it to you. Letâs hope we have good
weather for the journey! Make sure my mother receives all her
allowances, get the UGIF to help her. I hope youâve made it up
with Jacqueline by now, she is a strange girl, but good at heart
(the sky is clearing, itâs going to be a fine day). I donât know if
you got my usual card, or if Iâll get an answer before we leave.
I think of my mother, of you. Of all my loving friends who
did so much to help me keep my freedom. Heartfelt thanks
to those who helped me âget throughâ the winter. Iâm leaving
this letter unfinished. Itâs time to pack my bag. Back soon.
A note in case I canât finish, pen and watch are for Marthe
whatever my mother says. I kiss you good-bye dearest Maman,
and you my dear ones, with all my love. Be brave. Itâs 7 A . M .,
back soon.
Â
1. Roger Gompel was the director of a chain of department stores, including Les
Trois Quartiers. He was interned at Drancy but later released.
.................
T WICE IN APRIL 1966 I SPENT A SUNDAY IN THE EASTERN districts of Paris, looking for some trace of Dora Bruder
in the areas around the Saint-Coeur-de-Marie and Tourelles.
I felt this was best done on a Sunday, when the town is
deserted, at the lowest ebb of the tide.
Nothing is left of the Saint-Coeur-de-Marie. A modern
apartment block stands at the corner of the Rue de Picpus and
the Rue de la Gare-de-Reuilly. The section that has replaced
the schoolâs tree-shaded wall now displays the last odd
numbers in the Rue de la Gare-de-Reuilly. Opposite, a little
further along on the even-numbered side, the street is
unchanged.
Itâs hard to believe that one July morning in 1942, while
Dora was interned at Tourelles, the police had come to arrest
nine young children and adolescents at number 48 bis, where
the windows overlooked the garden of the
Saint-Coeur-de-Marie. Itâs a five-story building in light-colored brick. On each
floor, two windows flank two smaller windows. Number 40
next door is a grayish building, recessed. In front of it, a low
brick wall with an iron gate. Other small houses opposite, on
the same side as the perimeter wall of the old boarding school,
have remained as they were. Number 54, just before you reach
the Rue de Picpus, used to be a café owned by a Mlle Lenzi.
All of a sudden, I felt certain that, on the night when she
had made her escape, Dora had slipped away from the
boarding school by the Rue de la Gare-de-Reuilly. I visualized her,
hugging the school wall. Perhaps streets named after a station
evoke thoughts of escape.
I wandered around for a while, and then the sadness of
those other Sundays when it was time to return to the
boarding school began to weigh me down. I felt sure that she left
the métro at Nation. She put off the moment when she must
enter the gate and cross the courtyard. She prolonged her
walk, choosing streets at random. It grew dark. The Avenue
de Saint-Mandé is quiet, bordered by trees.
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