Georges Adda ( ar, جورج عدة) (September 22, 1916 in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

– September 28, 2008 in Tunis), was a

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

n politician and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

ist, and a former leader of the

Tunisian Communist Party The Tunisian Communist Party ( ar, الحزب الشيوعي التونسي ' ; french: Parti Communiste Tunisien) was a Marxist political party in Tunisia. The PCT was founded on 21 May 1934 as the Tunisian federation of the French Communist P ...

Biography

Adda was a respected figure of the Tunisian left opposition. He described himself as an

Anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palest ...

Tunisian Jew The history of the Jews in Tunisia extended nearly two thousand years and goes back to the Punic era. The Jewish community in Tunisia is no doubt older and grew up following successive waves of immigration and proselytism before its develo ...

. He strongly supported the liberation of

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East J ...

, often proclaiming his support for the rights of "the martyr dpopulation in Palestine". He fought "for freedom, democracy and human rights", and "for defence of just causes in Tunisia and the world". He was also active in the fight for

workers' rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights in ...

in the

Tunisian General Labour Union The Tunisian General Labour Union (french: Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, ''UGTT''. ar, الاتحاد العام التونسي للشغل) is a national trade union center in Tunisia. It has a membership of more than one million and wa ...

. Adda became a member of the Tunisian Communist Party (PCT) in 1934. He belonged to the group which went on with the clandestine struggle after the arrest of the

Neo-Destour The New Constitutional Liberal Party ( ar, الحزب الحر الدستوري الجديد, '; French: ''Nouveau Parti libéral constitutionnel''), most commonly known as Neo Destour, was a Tunisian political party founded in 1934 by a group o ...

and Communist leaders in September 1934. He was imprisoned by the French colonial authorities from September 1935 to April 1936. Once out of jail, he was nominated on June 1, 1936 at the National Conference of the party as Vice Secretary-General, and acting chief of the Communist Youth wing. In April 1940, Adda was placed under house arrest at

Zaghouan Zaghouan (or Zaghwan; ar, زغوان '' ; ber, ⵣⴻⵖⵡⴰⵏ / Zeɣwan)'' is a town in the northern half of Tunisia. Situated on a low ridge of the Dorsale Mountains, the town has a mild climate and presents a green aspect. Cold water ...

, then at

Béja Béja ( ar, باجة ') is a city in Tunisia. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located from Tunis, between the Medjerdah River and the Mediterranean, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Béja is situated on the ...

where he stayed until November 13, 1943, when he fled to neighbouring Algeria. Around 1944 he met Gladys who was also an active member of the communist party. She was also a strong believer in social justice and he became her second husband. The couple had twins. Adda was arrested again in 1952 by the French colonial authorities, and with other Destour and Communist leaders was sent to internal exile in Southern Tunisia. He was not freed until 1955. He later wrote about this period:

''For the liberation of my country, I experienced prisons, concentration camps and deportations by the French colonialists.''

Adda was a member of the PCT executive until 1957. For many years he remained an important leading member of the party and the managing editor of its French-speaking weekly, ("Tunisia's Future"). After independence he continued to play a role as an activist, but without an official post inside the party. His presence was still felt through his opinions, press articles and participation in democratic and trade-unionist movements. His son

Serge Adda Serge Adda (19 September 1948 in Tunis – 6 November 2004 in Paris) was the president of the French television station TV5. Life Adda was born in 1948 to a Tunisian-Jewish family, the son of Gladys Adda and Georges Adda. His parents were both ...

, the former president of

TV5Monde TV5Monde (), formerly known as TV5, is a French public television network, broadcasting several channels of French-language programming. It is an approved participant member of the European Broadcasting Union. The network is available across ...

, predeceased him in 2004 of cancer. Adda died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

, and was buried at the

Borgel Jewish Cemetery ''Borgel'' is a children's novel by Daniel Pinkwater published in 1990. Plot summary The story is narrated by the young Melvin Spellbound who joins his eccentric Uncle Borgel and pet dog Fafner on an intergalactic adventure involving time tra ...

where his wife Gladys and his son were already interred.

Sources

External links

an extract from ("Spring 1856. Tunisian Independence"), a film by

Frédéric Mitterrand Frédéric Mitterrand (born 21 August 1947) is a French politician who served as Minister of Culture and Communication of France from 2009 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. Throughout his career, he has been an actor, screenwriter, tele ...

, Électron Libre Productions, Paris, 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Adda, Georges 1916 births 2008 deaths Jewish anti-Zionism in the Arab world Jewish Tunisian politicians Jewish socialists Tunisian Jews Tunisian Communist Party politicians Jewish anti-Zionism in Africa People from Tunis Sephardi politicians