ABSTRACT
The Jewish immigrant community in Paris was small, especially until 1905. The Jewish labour movement – comprising both trade unions and political movements – was modest as well during this initial stage. The political branch of the Jewish labour movement never became very powerful in Paris, not even following the surge in immigration after 1905. Largely excluded from the course of events in Paris, the Jewish political organizations were deeply influenced by the rise of the Jewish labour movement abroad. Though modest in size, the Jewish political movement in Paris emerged soon after the first groups of immigrants arrived. The Jewish labour movement thus disintegrated into at least two sections. With a few exceptions, both the Jewish socialists and the Jewish anarchists operated amid relative isolation. Ties existed with members of the international movement, especially among the anarchists, but contacts with members of the French socialist and anarchist movements were very limited. This changed with the Dreyfus affair.
