Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportation

The Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportation is a French historical-memory foundation based in Paris. Created on 17 October 1990 at the initiative of Prime Minister Michel Rocard and the former Minister of the Interior, it provides institutional support to unions, survivor groups, and other associations concerned with the deportations and imprisonments carried out in France between 1940 and 1945 under Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime. The foundation's work centers on preserving the memory and documentary record of people who were interned, deported, or otherwise persecuted. It supports the initiatives of former internees and deportees, assists in maintaining links with their families, and helps ensure that personal testimonies, archival evidence, and historical research remain available to future generations. Its purpose is not limited to commemoration: the organization also presents historical understanding as a means of defending human dignity and preventing the recurrence of totalitarian persecution. Its stated principles include preserving the institution and its mission over time, defending the memory and rights of victims, resisting violations of freedom and dignity, contributing to the preservation of documentary evidence concerning Nazism, participating in educational work, deepening knowledge of concentration-camp prisoners and wartime resistance, and supporting research into the development and consequences of Nazism. These objectives combine remembrance, archival preservation, education, and historical scholarship. Governance is entrusted to an 18-member council that includes representatives of French public authorities, including the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of National Education, and the Ministry of Finance, alongside other representatives. This structure reflects the foundation's links with both the state and civil-society organizations involved in remembrance work. Yves Lescure was identified as head of the foundation from March 2009. The foundation also participates in international remembrance networks. It is listed as a partner organization of the Austrian Service Abroad and the associated Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service, connecting its French work with wider European programs dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and historical education. Its principal public role is therefore cultural, educational, archival, and commemorative rather than commercial: it acts as a coordinating and supporting institution for the preservation of deportation memory in France.

The Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportation was established in Paris on 17 October 1990. Its creation followed an initiative led by French Prime Minister Michel Rocard and the former Minister of the Interior, reflecting a public effort to give durable institutional support to the remembrance of deportation and internment during the Second World War. The foundation was formed to support the work of unions, survivor associations, and other organizations dealing with deportations and imprisonment carried out in France from 1940 to 1945 under Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime. Rather than functioning as a commercial enterprise, it serves as a coordinating, supporting, and custodial institution. Its responsibilities include helping preserve the experiences of former internees and deportees, supporting their families and associations, and ensuring that the historical consequences of persecution remain accessible as a record for later generations. Its mission developed around several connected principles. The foundation seeks to perpetuate the memory of deportation, defend the dignity and rights of those affected, resist attempts to deny or diminish the significance of totalitarian crimes, preserve documentary evidence, and contribute to education. It also supports deeper research into concentration-camp imprisonment, deportation, wartime resistance, and the mechanisms through which Nazism established and exercised power. The foundation presents remembrance as both a historical obligation and a safeguard against renewed violations of freedom and human dignity. The organization is governed by an 18-member council. The council includes representatives of several French ministries, notably the Interior, Defence, National Education, and Finance ministries, as well as other stakeholders. This governance model gives the foundation a formal relationship with the French state while retaining a mission focused on associations, survivors, families, educators, researchers, and the wider public. Since March 2009, Yves Lescure has been identified as head of the foundation. The organization has also maintained an international dimension through its status as a partner of the Austrian Service Abroad and the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service. This relationship places its French remembrance activities within a broader European framework of Holocaust education, memorial work, and service-based engagement. The foundation's historical role is consequently defined less by changes in products or corporate ownership than by continuity of purpose. Its enduring activities are the preservation of sources, support for remembrance organizations, transmission of survivor experiences, development of educational initiatives, and contribution to scholarship on deportation and internment. Its two central aims are to remember those who were interned or deported and to help prevent similar persecution from happening again.

• 2009

  Yves Lescure becomes head

  [1]Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportationen.wikipedia.org

  Yves Lescure was identified as head of the foundation from March 2009.

• 1990

  Foundation established

  [1]Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportationen.wikipedia.org

  The Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportation was founded in Paris on 17 October 1990 on the initiative of Prime Minister Michel Rocard and the former French Minister of the Interior.

A French public-interest foundation positioned at the intersection of remembrance, archival preservation, historical research, education, and support for survivor and commemorative organizations.

• Archival preservation

  Deportation and internment archives

  The foundation preserves and supports access to documentary evidence concerning deportation, internment, persecution, and resistance in France during the period of Nazi occupation and the Vichy regime. This work includes maintaining the historical record and helping transmit the experiences of affected people to later generations.

• Education and public history

  Educational and remembrance initiatives

  Educational activities explain the history of deportation and imprisonment, the experiences of concentration-camp prisoners, and the role of resistance during the Second World War. The initiatives are intended to support historical understanding, respect for victims, and awareness of the dangers of totalitarianism.

• Nonprofit support services

  Association support

  The foundation supports unions, survivor organizations, and other associations concerned with deportation and internment. It also contributes to the continuation of initiatives established by former internees and deportees and helps maintain the connection between these activities, families, and the wider public.

1. 1Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportation official websitefondationmemoiredeportation.com