Maurice Fingercwajg
Encyclopedia
Maurice Fingercwajg also Mojsze, Fingercweig (25 Dec 1923, Warsaw - 21 Feb 1944, Mont Valérien), was one of the resistance fighters shot at the Fort Mont Valérien, a volunteer soldier in the French liberation army FTP-MOI
and a member of the group of Missak Manouchian
.
, Poland. He was less than three years old when his parents settled in Paris. His father, a tailor, worked hard to feed his family. The young Maurice went to school and could have been a happy child were it not for the loss of his mother at the age of ten. Despite his youth, he worked as an upholsterer. Fingercwajg's elder brother Jacques was a member of the Jeunesse Communiste
and influenced him greatly. In 1940 Fingercwajg in his turn joined the Jeunesse Communiste, where he became very active.
When the second Jewish detachment of the FTP immigrés was formed in the spring of 1942, Maurice was one of the first fighters. His bravery and devotion led to his being transferred to the elite derailment teams under the command of Missak Manouchian
, where he carried out many audacious operations.
Fingercwajg's father and two brothers, Jacques and Léon, were deported during the great round-ups of Jews; he was left alone in the world and with the antifascist fighters as his only family. In November 1943, he was arrested along with his leader, Manouchian, and handed over with his other brothers in arms to the tribunal known as the procès des 23 (trial of the 23). Sentenced to death, he was shot at the Fort Mont Valérien on 21 February 1944.
German propaganda poster, with the caption Fingercwajg, Juif polonais, 3 attentats, 5 déraillements (Fingercwajg, Polish Jew, 3 attacks, 5 derailments).
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
and a member of the group of 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...
.
Biography
Fingercwajg was born on 25 December 1923 in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland. He was less than three years old when his parents settled in Paris. His father, a tailor, worked hard to feed his family. The young Maurice went to school and could have been a happy child were it not for the loss of his mother at the age of ten. Despite his youth, he worked as an upholsterer. Fingercwajg's elder brother Jacques was a member of the Jeunesse Communiste
Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France
The Mouvement Jeunes communistes de France , commonly called the "JC" , is a political youth organisation, close to the French communist party....
and influenced him greatly. In 1940 Fingercwajg in his turn joined the Jeunesse Communiste, where he became very active.
When the second Jewish detachment of the FTP immigrés was formed in the spring of 1942, Maurice was one of the first fighters. His bravery and devotion led to his being transferred to the elite derailment teams under the command of 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...
, where he carried out many audacious operations.
Fingercwajg's father and two brothers, Jacques and Léon, were deported during the great round-ups of Jews; he was left alone in the world and with the antifascist fighters as his only family. In November 1943, he was arrested along with his leader, Manouchian, and handed over with his other brothers in arms to the tribunal known as the procès des 23 (trial of the 23). Sentenced to death, he was shot at the Fort Mont Valérien on 21 February 1944.
Affiche rouge
Fingercwajg's name appeared on the Affiche RougeAffiche 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...
German propaganda poster, with the caption Fingercwajg, Juif polonais, 3 attentats, 5 déraillements (Fingercwajg, Polish Jew, 3 attacks, 5 derailments).
See also
- Main-d'œuvre immigréeMain-d'œuvre immigréeThe Main-d'œuvre immigrée was a French trade unionist organisation, composed of immigrant workers of the Confédération générale du travail unitaire in the 1920s. The MOI was affiliated to the Profintern...
- Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée
- Affiche rougeAffiche RougeThe 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...
- Brigades Spéciales
- Geheime Feld Polizei