'Not many of us left': France races to record memories of 1942 Jewish roundup

People visit the crypt inside the Shoah Memorial as France commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Vel d'Hiv roundup, in Paris, France, July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

PARIS (Reuters) - When police came knocking on the door of his eastern Paris home on July 16, 1942, 15-year-old French Jew Joseph Schwartz was no longer there. Forewarned, he and his father Lejbus had gone into hiding.

He had assumed his mother Ruchla and younger brother Paul would be safe - the few roundups of Jews that had already taken place had only targeted men.