Comité de Défense des Juifs

Committee for the Defence of Jews (CDJ) Comité de Défense des Juifs Joods Verdedigingscomiteit
Participant in the Belgian Resistance (World War II)
Active	September 1942~
Leaders	Hertz Jospa Yvonne Jospa
Area of operations	Across Belgium
Opponents	German Occupying Forces

The Comité de Défense des Juifs or CDJ (Dutch: Joods Verdedigingscomiteit, JVD, English: Committee for the Protection of Jews) was an organization of the Belgian Resistance, affiliated to the Front de l'Indépendance, founded by the Jewish Communist Hertz Jospa and his wife Have Groisman (Yvonne Jospa) of Solidarité juive in September 1942. It was founded in the house of Fela Perelman.

The CDJ had thirty-odd members in its children's section alone. These members formed an effective committee and came from all political and religious horizons, overcoming their divergent views to unite for the sake of saving Jewish children. The CDJ succeeded in saving about 3,000 of the 5,000 children who became enfants cachés ("hidden children", hidden among non-Jewish Belgian families, convents, etc.). The CDJ was also involved in other aspects of the resistance, producing the clandestine publications such as Unser Worth ("Our Word").

The CDJ also functioned as a national organisation in the field of social services. The section Kinderen (Children) became responsible for hiding and supporting those who had gone underground. The co-operation and assistance from the non-Jewish sector was remarkable. Thanks to 'unarmed resistance fighters' more than 3,000 Jews were rescued from deportation. The price paid for this campaign, however, was high. Many members of the CDJ together with their collaborators were arrested by the authorities.

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