Théo Klein (25 June 1920 – 28 January 2020) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

lawyer who presided over the

Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France (CRIF) () is an umbrella organization of other groups representing the interests of History of the Jews in France, French Jews. Overview It is the official France, French affiliate of th ...

from 1983 to 1989. Klein was a

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

and a French patriot. He advocated for

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

values. He was sometimes critical of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i foreign policy and the nation's unconditional supporters.

Biography

Klein was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and was the great-grandson of the former chief rabbi of

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

, Salomon Klein. He was born into an Alsatian Jewish family. He was educated at the

École Maïmonide École Maïmonide () is a French-language Jewish day school located in Montreal, Quebec. The school has two campuses: the Parkhaven Campus in Côte Saint-Luc and the Jacob Safra Campus in Saint-Laurent. History The years between 1950 and 1980 ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Klein earned a degree in law from

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

. Klein joined the

Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de France The Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs israélites de France (EEIF, ''Jewish Guides and Scouts of France'') is a Jewish Scouting and Guiding organization in France. It was founded in 1923 and serves about 4,000 members. The EEIF is a member of the Fé ...

shortly before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and then continued practicing with them in

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

after the war. During the war, he was commissioner for the

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

and

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

sectors. From 1942 to 1944, he was one of the leaders of the

Jewish resistance in German-occupied Europe Jewish resistance under Nazi rule encompassed various forms of organized underground activities undertaken by Jews against German occupation regimes in Europe during World War II. According to historian Yehuda Bauer, Jewish resistance can be d ...

, helping produce false documents for

Jewish people Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

, and rescuing Jewish children and sending them to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. He met his wife,

Liliane Klein-Lieber Liliane Klein-Lieber (2 June 1924 – 8 July 2020) was a French Resistance member. Biography She became in 1931 a member of the Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de France (EIF). During the Second World War, she was a social worker in ...

during his years of service. Théo Klein became a lawyer with the

Court of Appeal of Paris The Court of Appeal of Paris (, ) is the largest appeals court in France in terms of the number of cases brought before it. Its jurisdiction covers the departments of Paris, Essonne, Yonne, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne. ...

in 1945 and was admitted to the

Israel Bar Association Israel Bar Association (; IBA) is the bar association for all Israeli lawyers. History The Israel Bar Association was established by The Bar Association Law, 1961. The law went into effect in March 1962. The Association is organized as a cor ...

in 1970 as a member of the

International Court of Arbitration ICC International Court of Arbitration is an institution for the resolution of international commercial disputes. It operates under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and consists of more than 100 arbitrators from rough ...

. In 1978, he founded the law firm Klein & Associates, now called KGA Avocats. Klein helped reconstruct French Judaism after

Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

by working with many Jewish organizations. From 1945 to 1950, he served as President of the

Union des étudiants juifs de France The ''Union des étudiants juifs de France'' ("Union of French Jewish students", UEJF) is a French organization that aims to assist French Jewish students. History UEJF was founded in 1944 to assist young Jews who came back from concentration c ...

(UEJF), of which he was a co-founder. From 1970 to 1973, Klein was vice-president of the Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France (CRIF), and was president from 1983 to 1989. He founded the Dîner du CRIF in 1985. He also served on the

European Jewish Congress The European Jewish Congress (EJC) was founded in 1986. It is based in Brussels, with offices in Paris, Strasbourg, Berlin and Budapest. It is a representative body of democratically elected European Jewish communities throughout Europe. Overvie ...

. In 2012, Klein broke his ties with CRIF in a letter to then-President

Richard Prasquier Richard Prasquier (born 7 July 1945) is a French cardiologist and Jewish leader. He served as president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) from 2007 to 2013. Biography Prasquier was born as Ryszard Praszkier in ...

, criticizing his response to the

Muhammad al-Durrah incident On 30 September 2000, the second day of the Second Intifada, 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah () was killed at the Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip during widespread protests and riots across the Palestinian territories against Israeli o ...

. In the 1980s, along with

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

, Jack Lang, and Claude-Gérard Marcus, Klein was a key figure in the opening of the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme. He was vice-president of the museum from 1988 to 2001, and then served as president until 2011. He was a large donor to the museum, donating works from the likes of

Boris Schatz Boris Schatz (; Russian language, Russian: Борис Шац; 23 December 1866 – 23 March 1932) was a Lithuanian Jews, Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who settled in Palestine. Schatz was the founder of the Bezalel school and would be late ...

and Jules Grandjouan. Klein served as a member of the International Committee of the

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum () is a museum on the site of the Nazi German Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim, Poland. The site includes the main concentration camp at Auschwitz I and the remains of the concentration and e ...

. He helped to dissolve the dispute over the Auschwitz cross. After his retired, Klein gave seminars and wrote about the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...

. Théo Klein died on 28 January 2020 in

Saint-Cloud Saint-Cloud () is a French commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthie ...

at the age of 99.

Honors

*Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Publications

*''Deux vérités en face'' (1988) *''L'Affaire du Carmel d'Auschwitz'' (1991) *''Le Manifeste d’un juif libre'' (2002) *''Une manière d’être juif'' (2007) *''Sortir du ghetto'' (2007) *''Israël survivra-t-il'' (2008) *''Le Conflit israélo-arabe. Quelles sources ? Quelles solutions ?'' (2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Theo 1920 births 2020 deaths French secular Jews 20th-century French lawyers Lawyers from Paris Officers of the Legion of Honour Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery Sciences Po alumni Jews in the French resistance French Holocaust survivors French Ashkenazi Jews French nationalists French Zionists