The MJS: Its Origin and Mission

By any standards, the conference held in Montpellier on May 10, 1942, was unusual.  Two dozen delegates of Zionist youth groups in France voted to dissolve the organizations they represented and to unite under one banner.  Their aim was to turn away from the political differences that had divided them and to face the Nazi onslaught as one.  The Mouvement de jeunesse sioniste was born.  Quickly, MJS “gdouds” – Hebrew for “brigades” – were established in several cities.   

In 1943, as the noose tightened around the necks of Jews in France, MJS leaders devoted themselves to rescue work.  They were young – in their late teens or early twenties – and, because they were Jewish, their own lives were in peril.  Yet they placed themselves at great risk to come to the aid of others.  Some developed an expertise in forging false identity papers, ration cards, and other documents essential to survival.  Others worked alongside members of the OSE, la Sixième (the Sixth), and the Armée juive (Jewish Army) to find hiding places for Jews and to deliver the funds needed to maintain them in hiding.  Still others smuggled convoys of Jewish children into Switzerland.  Oftentimes, they used the code name “Éducation physique” (“Physical Education”) to refer to their underground rescue activities.   

After the end of the war, the MJS disbanded.  Many of its members played important roles in the establishment and building of the State of Israel.  Although excellent books and articles mention the organization, aspects of its rescue work remain largely unknown today.

Notes:
The OSE is a prominent child rescue and relief organization based headquartered in Paris.  The acronym stands for “Oeuvre de secours aux enfants,” often translated as “Children’s Rescue Network.”

“The Sixth” (“la Sixième”) was the underground branch of the Éclaireurs israélites de France (EIF), the Jewish scouts.  The formal name of the organization today is the “Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs israélites de France” (EEIF).  It also has its headquarters in Paris.    

The Armée juive (AJ) (Jewish Armed Forces) was the name given to a Jewish resistance created in Toulouse in January, 1942.