Heritage Days 2026 at the Shoah Memorial: the weekend program

On the occasion of Heritage Days 2026, the Mémorial de la Shoah will once again open its doors to the public on Saturday, 19 and Sunday, 20 September 2026.

For the Journées du Patrimoine 2026, the Mémorial de la Shoah, located in the 4th arrondissement of the capital, welcomes you free of charge with a compelling program. The museum, rich in significant archives on public display, invites the curious and other history enthusiasts to discover private archives of Jews who were deported.

It is these objects and photographs, the last traces entrusted to the memorial by relatives and friends of the deportees, that guarantee the preservation of their memory. These private archives will be on display throughout the weekend, to help us remember, through the prism of both general and personalhistory.

Heritage Days 2026 in Paris (75): a district-by-district lineup of visits
For the 2026 Heritage Days in Paris, the capital’s monuments and historic sites throw open their doors (often for free) to reveal their secrets to us. Don’t miss this essential event, scheduled for the weekend of September 19–20, 2026, under the themes: "Heritage in Peril" and "Heritage of Photography". [Read more]

Heritage Days 2026: Paris museums and art foundations across Île-de-France
During the 2026 Heritage Days, numerous museums and art foundations open their doors for free in Paris and the Île-de-France region. Mark your calendars for Saturday, 19 September and Sunday, 20 September 2026 to enjoy a program rich with exciting discoveries. [Read more]

However, the memorial does not only present the memory of the deportees. It also showcases numerous archives on the genocides of the 20th century, on the Second World War, and on the Occupation. A place of remembrance rich in memory to discover in the heart of the Marais, in Paris, on September 19 and 20, 2026.

2026 Heritage Days Program at the Shoah Memorial:

Installation "La Veille" by Tami Notsani
During Nuit Blanche in June, artist Tami Notsani gathered, as part of her participatory performance “La Veille,” more than 130 voices from visitors, commenting on archival images of women and children chosen by the artist. This installation turning these testimonies into a new work revives the emotion of that performance and the stories gathered.
How to participate: Free of charge | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 10:00–18:00 | Sunday, September 20, 2026, 10:00–18:00
Rethinking the History and Memory of the Shoah in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Moving beyond simplistic speeches, laudations, or diatribes surrounding AI and its use, this piece will explore the historical and philosophical questions raised by its emergence in the historiography of the Shoah and the transmission of its memory. Balancing opportunities with real risks, the note emphasizes a pedagogical approach and dialogue. This day of meetings will present first‑hand accounts from concrete experiences across fields: cinema, archival research, and museography; literature; the preservation of rare languages; and the question of testimony. To undertake this reflection is to empower a broad audience to understand and engage with the major technological debates of our time, by making explicit their direct link to profoundly human concerns that touch us all and sit at the heart of the Memorial of the Shoah’s mission.

Introduction by Simon Apartis, CNRS research engineer at the CIS laboratory (Centre Internet et Société).

PANEL 1 “Endangered Patrimonies”: artificial intelligence to safeguard/extend the traces of the past

Premiere screening of the film Reinscribing the Dondorf by Ania Szczepanska (France–Germany, 24 min, 2026).

In the presence of the filmmaker and Valentina Fedchenko, junior chair in Yiddish at Inalco and member of the Texts, Computing, Multilingualism Research Team (Ertim).

PANEL 2: From flesh witness to statistical witness: the ethics of AI in relation to Shoah historiography

In the presence of Todd Presner, author of Ethics of the Algorithm: Digital Humanities and Holocaust Memory (Princeton University Press, 2024), and Jürgen Matthäus, historian (USHMM).

Panels moderated by Simon Apartis.

With the participation of Philippe Corrot, entrepreneur, cofounder of Mirakl AI.
Participation conditions: Free | Reservation required - https://billetterie.memorialdelashoah.org/fr/evenement/penser-lhistoire-et-la-memoire-de-la-shoah-a-lere-de-lintelligence-artificielle
Schedule: Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM

Visit the Shoah Memorial to discover the Jewish memory of France and Paris, throughintimate objects and emblematic sites.