“Devastated, Denise told me they were being deported. Where to? The thought of my little sisters, frightened, not really understanding what was happening to them, defenceless against the fate that was awaiting them, tortured me. In our correspondence, always written in veiled references, I begged Denise to come and join me.” Salomon Buch
‘Revisiting a long life full of twists and turns, Salomon Buch delivers an astonishing autobiography. So faithful is his memory, filled with a wealth of details that recreate the atmosphere of the different periods of his life.’ Annette Wieviorka
Join us and the Azrieli Foundation on October 27th at 7 p.m. at the Montreal Holocaust Museum for the launch of Salomon Buch’s memoir, Un serment à la vie, along with renowned historian Annette Wieviorka, author of the book’s introduction.
The eldest of five children, including four sisters, Salomon grew up in Paris, in the Jewish neighbourhood of Belleville, which he describes as a lively village populated by colourful characters. By the end of the war, nothing remained of this vibrant and welcoming neighbourhood. When the Germans occupied Paris in June 1940, the capital that Salomon loved so much became a scene of tragedy. After his father was arrested, Salomon fled to Lyon in the free zone. Tragedy struck with the Vel d’Hiv roundup, when the rest of the family, except for his eldest sister Denise, were arrested. Alone, she tried in vain to have them released. Tragically, they were deported, and none of them returned. Powerless in the face of disaster, Salomon convinced Denise to join him. Together, they survived the war and rebuilt their lives, bound forever by a shared tragedy and tremendous resilience.
Annette Wieviorka will discuss the context in which Salomon Buch’s memoirs were written.
Tickets are free and reservations are required.
Salomon Buch’s memoirs will be distributed free of charge at the launch.
The event will be followed by a reception.
27 October at 7 p.m.
In person at the museum
Free admission, reservations required
Annette Wieviorka is a historian, honorary research director at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), vice president of the Higher Council of Archives and of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah. She chaired the association Témoignages pour mémoire, the French affiliate of the Fortunoff Video Archives. She was a member of the Study Mission on the Spoliation of the property of the Jews of France, known as the Mattéoli Mission. The author of numerous works, including Déportation et génocide: Entre la mémoire et l’oubli (1992, reprinted 2025); L’Ere du témoin (1998, translated into English by Jared Stark under the title The Era of the Witness); Auschwitz expliqué à ma fille (1999, translated into twenty languages including English under the title Auschwitz Explained to my Child). Her latest work Itinérances (2025) is a collection of articles and a reflection on nearly half a century of research. (Yale University)
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