Macron pays tribute to resistance fighter Robert Birenbaum, dead at 99
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute on Sunday to Robert Birenbaum, a decorated member of the French Resistance who died at the age of 99. Birenbaum, a companion-in-arms of Missak Manouchian, had become a symbolic figure of the immigrant resistance fighters who contributed to the liberation of France during the Second World War.
In a message posted on social media, Macron praised Birenbaum as a man who “joined the Resistance at the age of 16” and “embodied the fight for Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.” The president described him as an “example of lifelong dedication,” noting that his commitment never wavered.
Birenbaum belonged to the FTP-MOI (Francs-Tireurs et Partisans – Main-d’Œuvre Immigrée), a group made up largely of foreign-born anti-Nazi fighters. Like Manouchian, he took part in clandestine operations at a time when France was under occupation and repression intensified against Jewish families such as his own.
In February 2024, on the 80th anniversary of the execution of Manouchian and his comrades at Mont Valérien, Birenbaum was given a place of honor during the ceremony marking their entry into the Panthéon. His son, Guy Birenbaum, recalled that moment, saying his father had been “deeply moved to climb the steps of the Panthéon alongside the president.”
Born in Paris to a Polish-Jewish family, Robert Birenbaum joined the Resistance in July 1942 before dedicating the post-war years to civilian life, running a leather goods shop in the capital.
His son said he now “joins his beloved Tauba,” whom he met on the historic day of the liberation of Paris, August 25, 1944.
-
18:50
-
18:20
-
17:50
-
17:20
-
16:50
-
16:20
-
15:50
-
15:20
-
14:20
-
13:50
-
13:21
-
13:20
-
13:10
-
13:00
-
12:50
-
12:45
-
12:30
-
12:20
-
12:00
-
11:50
-
11:30
-
11:20
-
11:00
-
10:50
-
10:30
-
10:20
-
10:00
-
09:30
-
09:00
-
08:30
-
08:30
-
08:20
-
08:20
-
08:15
-
08:00
-
07:50
-
07:50
-
07:00
