The Communist Party worked to organize workers, both French and immigrant. Committed to defending the interests of foreign workers, it established the M.O.E. (Main-d’œuvre Étrangère) in 1926, a “sector of activity” dedicated to immigrants of various origins. This organization became the Main-d’Œuvre Immigrée (M.O.I.) in 1932, and language groups were created to promote the integration of workers who were still not fluent in French.
Many of these Jews, inspired by the Russian Revolution, felt drawn to the communist ideas championed by the leaders of the Jewish ( Yiddish-speaking) section of the M.O.I.
Of course, the reference to communism must be placed in its historical context. At that time, these Jews immigrants undoubtedly viewed communism as an ideal of social revolution, freedom, peace, and universal brotherhood—one that, in their view, made any form of antisemitism impossible.
The Jewish organizations affiliated with the M.O.I. are very active. The well-structured network of organizations covers all areas: a clinic, social services, political information, sports activities, a women’s movement, a youth movement, community centers, a writers’ “section,” a community choir, and a theater group.
Yiddish-speaking communists and sympathizers have a daily Yiddish-language newspaper, *La Naïe Presse (The New Press), which published its first issue in January 1934. This newspaper was widely circulated among the prewar Jewish immigrant community. One of its primary objectives was the fight against fascism.
