Djaafar Khemdoudi


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Djaafar Khemdoudi, also known as Jean Djaafar Khemdoudi, born on November 12, 1917, in Sour El-Ghozlane and died on July 27, 2011, in Lyon was an Algerian who joined the French resistance during World War II.[1]

Through his actions, he saved numerous individuals who were evading the Compulsory Work Service (Service du Travail Obligatoire or STO) but also Jewish children from the cities of Saint-Fons and Vénissieux.

He was deported to the concentration camp of Neuengamme, to the concentration camp of Malchow and then to the one of Ravensbrück but managed to survive and return to France.

Djaafar Khemdoudi passed away in Lyon in 2011.

Biography

Birth and Youth

He was born in Sour El-Ghozlane on November 12, 1917.[2] His father was a tailor. At the age of 17, he left his family home after a dispute with his father[3] and traveled to Marseille, then to Moselle, where he found employment. After a personal affair, he left Moselle and went to Lyon.[3]

Involvement in the Resistance and Deportation

Mobilized in 1939, he led a battalion of Maghrebi soldiers due to his good understanding of the French language.[3] After the surrender of France, he was forced to join the German Compulsory Work Service as an interpreter. There, he issued false certificates for evaders of the draft,[4] helped Jews prepare for escape and hiding, and alerted other resistance members who were under surveillance.[3]

More specifically, he helped the Jewish children of Saint-Fons and Vénissieux.[5] It is likely that he coordinated with Bel Hadj El Maafi, one of the leaders of the Algerian resistance in Lyon, who is also known for intervening in Saint-Fons in support of the Jewish community.[6]

He was denounced and arrested on June 23, 1944, in Lyon, and imprisoned at Montluc Prison[4][6] before being deported to the Neuengamme camp on July 31, 1944.[7]

As the Soviet troops advanced, he was moved to the Malchow camp and then to Ravensbrück, where he was eventually liberated by the Soviet army.[3] He returned to France on May 21, 1945.[8]

Life after the War and Death

After the war, in a letter to the military governor of Lyon, Bel Hadj El Maafi, declared that he had :[6]

"prevented the departure to Germany of a large number of individuals of North African, European, and Jewish origin."

Djaafar Khemdoudi was awarded the Legion of Honour, of which he was an officer, as well as the Military Medal and the Medal of the Resistance.[5]

He passed away in Lyon on July 27, 2011.[9][10]

Legacy

Like many other resistance fighters, particularly those of foreign origin, he was forgotten after the war.[11] The author Kamel Mouellef contributed to the memory of Djaafar Khemdoudi by publishing books about him.[5]

In March 2023, he was featured in the exhibition "Ces résistants oubliés" (These Forgotten Resistance Fighters) in Saint Chamond.[12][13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ces héros maghrébins oubliés (volet 2), les secrètes filières d'évasion algériennes". Mondafrique. 6 Aug 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  2. ^ "KHEMDOUDI DJAAFAR". Neuengamme (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mémorial de Montluc. "Djaafar Khemdoudi" (PDF). https://www.memorial-montluc.fr (in French).
  4. ^ a b Kolakowski, Kamila (2019-10-21). "Héros oubliés". Arolsen Archives (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  5. ^ a b c "Vaulx-en-Velin. Djaafar Khemdoudi, héros de la Résistance française". www.leprogres.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  6. ^ a b c André, Marc (2022). Une prison pour mémoire Montluc, de 1944 à nos jours. Lyon. ISBN 979-10-362-0575-0. OCLC 1366495180.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "KHEMDOUDI DJAAFAR". Neuengamme (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  8. ^ Mouellef, Kamel. Résistants oubliés. Olivier Jouvray, Batist. Grenoble: Glénat. ISBN 978-2-344-00764-8. OCLC 919029704.
  9. ^ "KHEMDOUDI DJAAFAR". Neuengamme (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  10. ^ Genealogie, Coret. "Décès Djaafar Khemdoudi le 26 juillet 2011 à Lyon 7e Arrondissement, Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (France)". Archives Ouvertes (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  11. ^ Wardleworth, Nina (2018-07-20). "Reflections on 'Identifying North Africans in the French Resistance' at end of first year of Laidlaw research and leadership Scholarship". frenchempireww2. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  12. ^ "CES RÉSISTANT(E)S OUBLIÉ(E)S à ST CHAMOND". www.agenda-des-sorties.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  13. ^ "« Ces Résistants oubliés »: une exposition à voir absolument à Saint-Chamond, du 4 mars au 3 avril !". Oumma (in French). 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-04-28.