The Anti-Fascist Struggle of Jewish Immigrants

Following the nationalist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic demonstration on February 6, 1934, a counter-response began to take shape. In Paris’s 11th arrondissement, progressive Jews erected barricades.

Louis Gronowski, then editor-in-chief of *Naïe Presse*, a progressive Jewish daily published in Yiddish and an offshoot of the Jewish section of the M.O.I., praised the unity of action on the left and the common struggle “against German Nazism and French fascism.” Anti-fascist intellectuals formed a Vigilance Committee, and Jewish labor organizations founded the Jewish section of the Committee.

Left-wing parties emphasized the importance of immigrant workers to the economy’s growth. On July 14, 1935, a large demonstration brought together Communists, Socialists, and Radicals. Jewish labor organizations called on all Jews to march.

On October 9, 1935, at the initiative of the Jewish section of the M.O.I. and the LICA (International League Against Anti-Semitism), the “Jewish Popular Movement” was founded, bringing together various factions, from communists to the Republican right. Observers described the event as historic. Activists—whether workers or students—organized themselves across all sectors.

Jews who are artists and intellectuals are the driving force behind the Workers’ University and lead discussions on a wide range of topics.

The intellectual and social ferment among Jewish immigrants was intense, but hostility from the conservative faction of the Israélites (long-established French Jews) persisted despite the fascist threat.

The Nuremberg anti-Semitic laws of September 1935 changed attitudes on both sides. Progressive Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe drew closer to French Jews who sought an alliance.

In response to the regular calls of *Naïe Presse*, the “Jews” rise up against social injustice. With great determination, they participate in the unceasing anti-fascist struggle, from the February 9, 1934, demonstration against the far right to the battle for democratic elections in May 1936 and the armed struggle in support of the Spanish Republic.

The World Congress for the Defense of Jewish Culture, held in Paris in 1937, had as its primary goal the fight against growing anti-Semitism and fascism.