Leon (Arye) Roitman
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Leon (Arye) Roitman | |
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| Born | 1925 Paris |
| Died | 1993 |
| Nationality | French Jewish |
| Occupation | Resistance Fighter During World War II |
Leon Roitman (1925-1993) was a French Jewish resistance fighter during World War II. He was a member of the Armée Juive (Jewish Army), a Zionist underground organization that helped rescue Jews from Nazi persecution and deportation.
Biography
During WWII
Roitman was born in Paris in 1925 to a Jewish family of Polish origin. He attended a Jewish school and joined the Zionist youth movement *Mouvement de la Jeunesse Sioniste (MJS) in 1939. After the German occupation of France in 1940, he became active in the resistance, using the alias Jean Sirot.
He was one of the founders of the Armée Juive, along with Abraham Polonski and Robert Gamzon. The Armée Juive operated mainly in southern France, where it established escape routes, safe houses, forged documents, and armed units. Roitman was involved in several daring operations, such as rescuing children from internment camps and rescuing Jews from the gestapo prison.
In Poitiers, Leon was involved in various forms of anti-fascist resistance. He helped Rabbi Elie Bloch to save children from the internment camps and he put up posters denouncing the Nazi occupation. He also crossed the demarcation line to assist Jews who were in danger of being deported.
However, his activities exposed him to great risks. In 1942, he was betrayed by a farmer who employed him as part of the STO (Service du travail obligatoire) and who reported him to the authorities when he tried to escape the raids. Léon was captured by French gendarmes, but he managed to slip away from them. He reached Toulouse station, where he saw a wanted poster with his picture and a charge of "attempted murder". He decided to join the Jewish Army (AJ), an armed resistance group, in November 1942.
n late 1942, Léon learned that the Nazis had captured his older brother, Paul, in the Pyrenees. He was determined to rescue him. He found out that Paul was held at Fort du Hâ, near Bordeaux. Léon got in touch with the German commander who oversaw the prisoners at the fort. He pulled off a clever, daring and risky plan that freed his brother Paul in April 1943. At the same time, he joined the MJS (Zionist Youth Movement) in Grenoble. He was recruited by Simon Levite and Otto Giniewski who made him their assistant.
In May1943, he devoted himself entirely to his new task, which aimed to create the renowned fake document service (the "synths") of Grenoble, which exceeded beyond all expectations. He also looked after new members, trained them in synths and ensured their welfare.
When Italy agreed to the armistice with the Allies, the situation in German-occupied Grenoble became intolerable. The Grenoble group split up; a large portion, including Léon Roitman, moved to Toulouse and the nearby area. Léon, still in the "synth" section, established excellent relations with the local clergy who helped him to expand the scope of his activity.
In May 1944, his brother Jacques, responsible for the crossings in Spain, was arrested. Léon took over the direction of these passages until the Liberation.
The ALIYAH
He also helped organize the Aliyah Bet, the illegal immigration of Jewish survivors to Palestine. He himself made Aliyah in 1946 and joined the Haganah, the Jewish defense force that fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Israel development
Personal life
after the war Leon married Sabine Einhorn
Legacy
Roitman was recognized as one of the heroes of the French Jewish resistance by several organizations and institutions. He received the Jewish Rescuers Citation[1] from B'nai B'rith World Center-Jerusalem and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers during the Holocaust in 2021². He also received the *Médaille de la Résistance* (Resistance Medal) and the *Croix de Guerre* (War Cross) from the French government.
His story is featured in several documentaries and exhibitions, such as *Came out of the fog* by Raziel Mamet
References
- ↑ "Jewish Rescuers Citation - B'nai B'rith International". B’nai B’rith International. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
External links
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