Jean Jérome
Encyclopedia
Jean Jérome was a Polish Jew
-French
communist
activist and Resistance
member.
) as one of the seven children of a vendor, he received a religious education in the local yeshiva
(Jewish school), and spoke both Hebrew
and Yiddish
. He started work in menial jobs at a very young age, and he became a communist after Galicia was taken over by Poland
at the end of World War I
. Feintuch attended meetings of the newly formed and clandestine Communist Party of Poland
at the age of sixteen, and he joined a trade union
. After two successive arrests, he could no longer find employment, and he ultimately fled Poland in order to elude military service.
He lived in Belgium
after 1927, working in a steel plant. He also attended lectures at the University of Liège
at about the same time. His political activities caused his expulsion, so he illegally crossed into France to work as an electrician in a telephone factory. He became active in the Confédération Générale du Travail
(CGT-F) and the Polish mission of the Main-d'œuvre étrangère (Foreign Workers Movement) to the Central Committee
of the French Communist Party
(PCF). In 1931, he was deported to Belgium, but returned once more to become active in the Paris
region, remaining a clandestine operative for several years thereafter.
Feintuch became an important internal contact for the Comintern
and Profintern
; he established a relationship with the Comintern's envoy to France, Eugen Fried, and he was one in the Party section charged with sending weapons and supplies to the Republicans
during the Spanish Civil War
. After the Spanish Popular Front
was crushed in 1939, Mikhaël Feintuch and his section were directed to organize the transit of tens of thousands of former fighters and other refugees into France. He also, probably, engaged in the trafficking of jewels and gold.
In June 1940, his central position in the Party was confirmed by Jacques Duclos
. Feintuch, newly named Jérome, became the official supplier of paper and printing material to the Party's illegal press (which had been outlawed after the PCF had outraged public opinion and the Deladier government by condoning the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
.) Philippe Robrieux argued that Jérome replaced Giulio Ceretti
, the man charged with obtaining illegal funds for the Comintern. (Ceretti and Maurice Thorez
had since been recalled to Moscow
.)
When the German
occupation of France
began, Jérome was charged with maintaining contact with other elements of the Resistance, intellectuals as well as the Free French Forces
of General Charles de Gaulle
. He was arrested in 1943, an incident still wrapped in mystery. Some speculate that his activities brought the downfall of other communist Franc Tireurs, the group pictured in the Affiche Rouge
led by Missak Manouchian
. Still, Jean Jérome has since been awarded numerous distinctions for his participation in the underground movement: the Médaille de la Résistance
, the Croix de guerre
, and the Légion d'honneur
. The biographical profiles he himself submitted to PCF sources are very succinct.
According to Philippe Robrieux, Jean Jérome acted as fundraiser for the PCF up until the 1970s, through his known business ventures in the People's Republic of Poland
and in Czechoslovakia
.
, May 12, 1990
History of the Jews in Poland
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...
-French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
activist and Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
member.
Biography
Born in Galicia (part of Austria-HungaryAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
) as one of the seven children of a vendor, he received a religious education in the local yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
(Jewish school), and spoke both Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
. He started work in menial jobs at a very young age, and he became a communist after Galicia was taken over by Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Feintuch attended meetings of the newly formed and clandestine Communist Party of Poland
Communist Party of Poland
The Communist Party of Poland is a historical communist party in Poland. It was a result of the fusion of Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania and the Polish Socialist Party-Left in the Communist Workers Party of Poland .-1918-1921:The KPRP was founded on 16 December 1918 as...
at the age of sixteen, and he joined a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. After two successive arrests, he could no longer find employment, and he ultimately fled Poland in order to elude military service.
He lived in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
after 1927, working in a steel plant. He also attended lectures at the University of Liège
University of Liège
The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
at about the same time. His political activities caused his expulsion, so he illegally crossed into France to work as an electrician in a telephone factory. He became active in the Confédération Générale du Travail
Confédération générale du travail
The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.It is the largest in terms of votes , and second largest in terms of membership numbers.Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995-96 The General...
(CGT-F) and the Polish mission of the Main-d'œuvre étrangère (Foreign Workers Movement) to the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
(PCF). In 1931, he was deported to Belgium, but returned once more to become active in the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
region, remaining a clandestine operative for several years thereafter.
Feintuch became an important internal contact for the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
and Profintern
Profintern
The Red International of Labor Unions , commonly known as the Profintern, was an international body established by the Communist International with the aim of coordinating Communist activities within trade unions...
; he established a relationship with the Comintern's envoy to France, Eugen Fried, and he was one in the Party section charged with sending weapons and supplies to the Republicans
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. After the Spanish Popular Front
Popular Front (Spain)
The Popular Front in Spain's Second Republic was an electoral coalition and pact signed in January 1936 by various left-wing political organisations, instigated by Manuel Azaña for the purpose of contesting that year's election....
was crushed in 1939, Mikhaël Feintuch and his section were directed to organize the transit of tens of thousands of former fighters and other refugees into France. He also, probably, engaged in the trafficking of jewels and gold.
In June 1940, his central position in the Party was confirmed by Jacques Duclos
Jacques Duclos
Jacques Duclos was a French Communist politician who played a key role in French politics from 1926, when he entered the French National Assembly after defeating Paul Reynaud, until 1969, when he won a substantial portion of the vote in the presidential elections.During World War I, Duclos fought...
. Feintuch, newly named Jérome, became the official supplier of paper and printing material to the Party's illegal press (which had been outlawed after the PCF had outraged public opinion and the Deladier government by condoning the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
.) Philippe Robrieux argued that Jérome replaced Giulio Ceretti
Giulio Ceretti
Giulio Ceretti, was an Italian engineer and entrepreneur, active in the area of cable transport. Ceretti built the first aerial cableway with intermediate supports, and was one of the first engineers ever to design and install mechanical systems in harbours and dock yards in order to speed-up the...
, the man charged with obtaining illegal funds for the Comintern. (Ceretti and Maurice Thorez
Maurice Thorez
thumb|A Soviet stamp depicting Maurice Thorez.Maurice Thorez was a French politician and longtime leader of the French Communist Party from 1930 until his death. He also served as vice premier of France from 1946 to 1947....
had since been recalled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.)
When the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupation of France
Military history of France during World War II
The military history of France during World War II covers the period from 1939 until 1940, which witnessed French military participation under the French Third Republic , and the period from 1940 until 1945, which was marked by mainland and overseas military administration and influence struggles...
began, Jérome was charged with maintaining contact with other elements of the Resistance, intellectuals as well as the Free French Forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
of General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. He was arrested in 1943, an incident still wrapped in mystery. Some speculate that his activities brought the downfall of other communist Franc Tireurs, the group pictured in the Affiche Rouge
Affiche Rouge
The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
led by Missak Manouchian
Missak Manouchian
Missak Manouchian was a French poet of Armenian birth, a militant communist in the MOI , and military commissioner of the FTP-MOI in the Paris region...
. Still, Jean Jérome has since been awarded numerous distinctions for his participation in the underground movement: the Médaille de la Résistance
Médaille de la Résistance
The French Médaille de la Résistance was awarded by General Charles de Gaulle "to recognise the remarkable acts of faith and of courage that, in France, in the empire and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and against its accomplices since June 18,...
, the Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
, and the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. The biographical profiles he himself submitted to PCF sources are very succinct.
According to Philippe Robrieux, Jean Jérome acted as fundraiser for the PCF up until the 1970s, through his known business ventures in the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
and in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
Autobiographical works
- La Part des Hommes, Acropole, 1983
- Les Clandestins (1940-44), Acropole, 1986
External links
Un homme communiste in L'HumanitéL'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
, May 12, 1990