Ephraim Lipcer

Born on July 6, 1910, in Suwalki, Poland, to a Jewish family, Ephraïm Lipcer attended high school in Radom and earned his high school diploma.

He emigrated to France in 1929, hoping to pursue university studies in Montpellier, but he had to abandon them due to financial difficulties. Lipcer soon began working as an advertising agent for the Yiddish-language newspaper *Naïe Presse* (*The New Press*), published by the Jewish section of the M.O.I. He married Gnisia Breynazin and settled with her in Paris. He was granted French citizenship by decree on December 30, 1937. When war was declared, he was drafted. After his demobilization, he wrote for the anti-racist publication *J’Accuse*, published in French, and the newspaper *Unzer Wort* (*Our Word*), published in Yiddish—both of which were underground publications.

He joined the Jewish underground organization “Solidarity,” where he was a very active member. He engaged in illegal activities, such as selling gloves, to raise funds for the organization. Reported to the French intelligence service (Renseignements généraux) as early as January 1942 for illicit trade, he could not be located. Under the aliases Émile Féraud and André Lemonnier, he continued his clandestine Resistance activities. He moved to 2 Impasse du Maroc (20th arr.) and became a full-time member of the illegal Jewish section of the M.O.I.

For several weeks, officers from Special Brigade 2 tailed members of the M.O.I. and kept track of all their meetings. Lipcer, nicknamed “Maroc,” was followed, and his clandestine hideout was discovered. Since he was unaware of the long-term surveillance he was under, the police were able to locate and identify numerous activists.

Ephraïm Lipcer was arrested on July 2, 1943. At his home, police officers discovered his false papers, two appointment slips, eleven address slips, and a notebook. After being brutally interrogated at the Special Brigades headquarters, Ephraïm Lipcer was interned at Drancy under registration number 3200. He was transferred, along with his wife Gnisia, on July 31, 1943, via Convoy 58 to Auschwitz, where they died.

Ephraim Lipcer was blamed for the arrest of Resistance fighters. But this was more likely the result of surveillance carried out by officers from the Special Brigades.