Éliane Vogel-Polsky (5 July 1926 – 13 November 2015) was a Belgian lawyer and feminist.

Biography

Éliane Vogel-Polsky was born in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

on 5 July 1926, one of two daughters. Her parents were Russian Jews who had immigrated to Belgium after the end of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. She attended the Lycée Émile Jacqmain but her education was interrupted by the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. The anti-Jewish regulations introduced by the German forces of occupation obliged Vogel-Polsky to finish school under a false name with the Benedictine sisters in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

. Vogel-Polsky enrolled at

Saint-Louis University, Brussels UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels is an autonomous university campus specialized in social and human sciences part of UCLouvain and based in Brussels, Belgium. Established in 1857, Saint-Louis University, Brussels (officially, in French Universi ...

for a preparatory law degree in 1944. On 7 July 1950 she graduated with a doctorate in law at the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

; she was called to the bar the same year. During her doctorate she first met Marie-Thérèse Cuvelliez and Odette De Wynter. In 1952 with Cuvelliez she became the first woman to win the Janson Prize. In 1958 Vogel-Polsky obtained three degrees: international social law, comparative social law and community social law. Vogel-Polsky was a strong feminist and in 1966 she supported the strike at

FN Herstal , trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe . FN ...

and she began feminist studies in 1968. She taught four courses on Belgian labour, social security, international social law and comparative social law and in European social law in 1975. In 1969 she joined the Faculty of Law at the ULB and became a professor in 1991. Though she was best known for her defense of women's rights Vogel-Polsky was a labour law expert and article 119 of the

Treaty of Rome The Treaty of Rome, or EEC Treaty (officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community), brought about the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), the best known of the European Communities (EC). The treaty was signe ...

is nicknamed ''Eliane's article''. She was also the lawyer in the Defrenne v Sabena (No 2) case about age discrimination. In 1992 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the

University of Lleida The University of Lleida (officially in Catalan: ''Universitat de Lleida'') is a university based in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. It was the first university founded in Catalonia and in the ancient Crown of Aragon. It was founded in 1300, using the ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

for her teaching career. Vogel-Polsky married lawyer André Albert Vogel and they had 3 children: Jean, Laurent and Alain. They had a company but Vogel-Polsky found it frustrating that she was often sidelined as a woman. Aged 90, she died in Brussels on 13 November 2015. In 2020, Vogel-Polsky was chosen to be the Patron de Promotion of the 2021-2022 class at the

College of Europe The College of Europe (; ; ) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with three campuses in Bruges, Belgium; Warsaw, Poland; and Tirana, Albania. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 as a result of the 1948 Congress of ...

by the rector

Federica Mogherini Federica Mogherini (; born 16 June 1973) is an Italian politician who served as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. A member of the Democratic ...

, the former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vogel-Polsky, Eliane 1926 births 2015 deaths Jurists from Ghent Belgian feminists Belgian Jews Belgian women lawyers