Samuel DANON

This biography was produced by a class of 3rd grade students at the Voltaire middle school in Sarcelles, in the Val d’Oise department of France, with the guidance of Ms. Jacquet-Asselin.

From the very beginning of the project, the students of class 3C were highly motivated, and took their task of tracing the Danon couple’s life story both seriously and with great empathy. Over the course of the project, the students worked with different media (online archives and printed records) and on a range of tasks (chronology, family tree, etc.).

After our field trip to the Shoah Memorial in Paris, we decided to write to one of their descendants, Denise Lindenberg, who replied to our first letter, but not to our second. The students explored various means of presenting their research. After completing some written work, they discussed the possibility of making either a video or a podcast, and finally opted for a podcast in view of its contemporary, dynamic feel, practicality and theatrical quality.

In spite of their often-conflicting timetables, some of the students volunteered to come back to the school to record the podcast, even though they are now in high school.

Translator’s note: We hope to have a written version of this biography at some point. In the meantime, the podcast recounting the lives of Samuel and his wife, Esther, is available in French here: