In occupied France, the Communists reorganized amid a certain degree of confusion. The Party, a victim of Pétainist repression, published a manifesto against Vichy. Until the spring of 1941, the main target of the PCF (French Communist Party) was Marshal Pétain, the “puppet of the Germans.”
Communist Jews reestablished ties within various underground associations and groups and set up a broad network of mutual aid at the local level.
In July and August 1940, on the initiative of Albert Youdine, the first groups of young Jewish communists—known as M.O.I.—were formed to oppose the collaborationist regime.
In late July, Louis Gronowski returned to occupied Paris. On August 1, 1940, as the national leader of all language groups, he was tasked by the PCF with restructuring the Main-d’Œuvre Immigrée.
In September 1940, the Jewish section was reestablished, and its former leaders gathered in Paris around Louis Gronowski and Jacques Kaminski. Together, they founded the underground organization“Solidarité” (later to become the Union of Jews for the Resistance and Mutual Aid, UJRE). Initially an organization focused on mutual aid and information, “Solidarité” quickly evolved into a Resistance organization. Social action was never separated from political action within the organization.
According to the PCF, only the establishment of communism can lead to the eradication of anti-Semitism.
While the collaborationist press portrays the conflict as a war instigated by the Jews, the Party, in the*L’Humanité* on September 10, 1940, denounced anti-Semitism. It called for all workers to unite against capitalism “regardless of religion or race.” However, it believed that the “Jewish question” fell under the purview of “Solidarité” or the Jewish section of the M.O.I., which were better positioned to alert the Jews.
The Communists have always recognized the importance of leaflets and the press. The underground Jewish branch of the M.O.I. is very active, and former editors of *Naïe Presse* are stepping up their efforts .
The periodical, a mimeographed sheet, reappeared clandestinely at fairly regular intervals under the Yiddish title, Unzer Wort beginning September 29, 1940. Marceau Vilner is involved in the writing and distribution of this underground newspaper.
Subsequently, the French-language edition would be titled *Notre Parole* in the northern zone and *Notre Voix* in the southern zone—the word or voice of the Communist Jewish opposition to Pétainism and anti-Semitism. In the wake of “Solidarité,” numerous mutual-aid groups were formed among Jewish intellectuals, artists, writers, lawyers, and doctors.
Organizations such as the Jewish Communist Youth (JCJ) andthe Union of Jewish Women (UFJ) very quickly took on a specific role within the Resistance, working alongside “Solidarity,” in the fight against the Vichy regime and the occupying forces.
