Jews, Communists and International Brigades: Intersections and Ambivalences in the 1930s from a Transnational Perspective

The article studies the communist Jewish subject during the 1930s from a transnational perspective. It explores the complexity of the relations between the two identities and establishes particularities of Jewish communist militancy, with attention to the official organic discourse of the Soviet matrix and the casuistry in different contexts. In its second part, the article analyses, through egodocuments and political publishing such as Gina Medem’s book Los judíos voluntarios de la libertad, the keys to political self-affirmation and Jewishness in members of the communist contingent organized in Spain (International Brigades). The conclusions highlight the notable weight of political hybridization and identity tension in this group.

Keywords:
autobiography; communism; Jews, Spanish Civil War; International Brigades