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Robert Birenbaum, French Resistance Veteran and FTP-MOI Comrade of Manouchian, Dies at 99

The news, announced by his son on X, drew a presidential tribute that praised him as "a man of dedication."

Overview

  • His son, Guy Birenbaum, said on X that Robert Birenbaum died Saturday, November 22, 2025, at the age of 99.
  • President Emmanuel Macron honored him on X, noting he joined the Resistance at 16 alongside Missak Manouchian and Marcel Rajman and calling him "an example for all."
  • Birenbaum entered the Resistance on July 16, 1942 with the Jeunesses communistes and was associated with the FTP-MOI, a formation of largely immigrant fighters.
  • He took part in the national commemoration bringing Missak and Mélinée Manouchian into the Panthéon on February 21, 2024, walking the steps with the president.
  • Born in Paris to a Polish-Jewish family, he enlisted in the army in 1944, later ran a leather goods shop, and met his future wife Tauba on the day of Paris’s Liberation in 1944.