Gédéon Geismar (10 January 1863 – 28 June 1931) was a

French-Jewish The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but persecution increased over time, including multiple expulsio ...

military officer who became a Zionist activist later in life. He was the first president of the

Jewish National Fund The Jewish National Fund (JNF; , ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael''; previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') is a non-profit organizationProfessor Alon Tal, The Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion ...

and a president of the Eclaireurs Israélites de France. He was the uncle of French politicians Léon Geismar and

Max Hymans Max Hymans (2 March 1900 in Paris – 7 March 1961 in Saint-Cloud), was a notable leftist French politician, member of the resistance, and director of Air France from 1948 to 1961. Biography Max Hymans was born in Paris on 2 March 1900. ...

Early life

Gédéon Geismar was born in

Dambach-la-Ville Dambach-la-Ville (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies northwest of Sélestat, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains. Dambach-la-Ville is known for its quality wines. History The ...

on 10 January 1864 in the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

to Marx Geismar and Jeanne Léopold. He studied in Dambach-la-Ville's small Jewish school, where he learned

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

. In 1874, his father sent him to a boarding school in

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

in order "to be French". He studied there until 1882. Geismar graduated from Paris'

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

on 1 November 1883. Upon his graduation, he decided to pursue a military career, deciding to work with

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

Military career

On 1 October 1885 he entered as a second-lieutenant at the School of Artillery and Engineering Application () in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. On 1 October 1887 he was promoted to lieutenant in the . In 1894, Geismar became captain in the Second Foot Artillery Battalion. He was made a squadron leader in 1905 for the 40th artillery regiment. Assigned to the staff of the Third Artillery Corps in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

in 1907, he progressed upwards to the position of lieutenant-colonel and had become the corps' chief of staff by the outbreak 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 ...

. Geismar entered the 44th Artillery Regiment when the war broke out. He was appointed colonel of the Regiment on 5 May 1915. On 28 October 1915, he was awarded with the

Croix de guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

for his "talent of organization, his masterful manner, and his activity which are all beyond praise, which permitted him to obtain from all his subordinates, by his personal energy and example, the maximum results" which he had displayed during an artillery charge in September. In 1918, he commanded the 21st Army Corps' artillery regiment in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. On 7 February that year, he received the rank of brigadier general, assuming command of the 4th Army Corps' Artillery.

Zionist activism

When Geismar finally retired in January 1923, he became increasingly active in the

Zionist movement Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the Jewish people, pursued through the colonization of Palestine, a region roughly co ...

, assisting the development of

Keren Hayesod Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal (, literally "The Foundation Fund") is an official fundraising organization for Israel with branches in 45 countries. Its work is carried out in accordance with the Keren haYesod Law-5716, passed by the Kne ...

(Reconstruction Fund), with

André Spire André Spire (28 July 1868 – 29 July 1966) was a French people, French French poet, poet, French writer, writer, and Zionist activist. Biography Born in 1868 in Nancy, France, Nancy, to a Jewish family of the middle bourgeoisie, long establis ...

. He then became honorary president of the K.K.l (Keren Kayemeth Leisrael or

)'s Central Commission. His knowledge of Hebrew made him able to read

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

's press. He participated and was a member of the steering committee for , a Zionist advocacy group founded in 1926 by

Joseph Paul-Boncour Augustin Alfred Joseph Paul-Boncour (; 4 August 1873 – 28 March 1972) was a French politician and diplomat of the Third Republic. He was a member of the Republican-Socialist Party (PRS) and served as Prime Minister of France from December 19 ...

Justin Godart François Pierre Marie Justin Godart (26 November 1871 – 13 December 1956) was a French lawyer and politician who served as the Minister for Health from 3 June 1932 to 18 December 1932. Biography Justin Godart was born into a working-class ...

. His fellow members included

Édouard Herriot Édouard Marie Herriot (; 5 July 1872 – 26 March 1957) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic who served three times as Prime Minister (1924–1925; 1926; 1932) and twice as President of the Chamber of Deputies. He led the f ...

Paul Painlevé Paul Painlevé (; 5 December 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French mathematician and statesman. He served twice as Prime Minister of France, Prime Minister of the French Third Republic, Third Republic: 12 September – 13 November 1917 and 17 A ...

Jules Cambon Jules-Martin Cambon (5 April 1845 – 19 September 1935) was a French diplomat and brother of Paul Cambon. As the ambassador to Germany (1907–1914), he worked hard to secure a friendly détente. He was frustrated by French leaders such as Ray ...

Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. He was a conservative leader, primarily committed to ...

, Alexandre Barthou, and

Gaston Doumergue Pierre Paul Henri Gaston Doumergue (; 1 August 1863 in Aigues-Vives, Gard18 June 1937 in Aigues-Vives) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1924 to 1931. Tasked with important ministerial portfolios, he was first appo ...

. The society's Secretary-General was Henri Hertz. In 1927, he was elected to the executive committee of the de la Zionist Federation of France. He helped found the Franco-Palestinian Centre of Commerce. In 1928, he accepted the presidency of the Éclaireuses et éclaireurs israélites de France (EEIF), saying he was "training the young recruits of the Jewish people."

Death

Gédéon Geismar died on 28 June 1931 in the

14th arrondissement of Paris The 14th arrondissement of Paris ( ), officially named ''arrondissement de l'Observatoire'' (; meaning "arrondissement of the Observatory"; named after the Paris Observatory), is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, ...

. He is buried in

Personal life

Geismar, was deeply religious, having grown up in a devout family. He refused to garrison in cities without

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

Family and ancestry

Geismar's father, Marx (-1898) was born in Grussenheim,

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

. His mother Jeanne Léopold was from

Pfaffenhoffen Pfaffenhoffen (; ; Alsatian: ''Pfàffoffe'') is a former commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Val-de-Moder.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 ...

ian-born Marthe Léa Lévy on 16 October 1903. They had two children: Yvonne Geismar, a lawyer and the deputy mayor of the

15th arrondissement of Paris The 15th arrondissement of Paris () is one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ('the fifteenth'). The 15th arrondissement, called , is situated on the Rive ...

, and Jean Gabriel, a

business magnate A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

. He had two notable nephews: Léon Geismar, governor of French West Africa, and

, CEO of

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

Works

* ''Instruction for the observation service in the German foot artillery''. translated by G. Geismar, published in 1891. * ''Instructions for the direction of fire in the German foot artillery'' published 1892. * ''Organization of Objectives for German Artillery Fire Schools'' published in 1895.

Decorations

* In the Order 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 ...

: Knight on 10 July 1907; officer on 1 January 1917; Commander on 29 December 1922. *

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

on 28 October 1915.

Legacy

A road in his hometown,

, is named after him.

Citations

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Defense Historical Service, dossier Gédéon Gesmar. * Almanach du KKL de Strasbourg pour l'année 1993 , article de Philippe Landau. * Geismar family tree, built by Hubert Metzger in 1992, based on notes by Marcel Léopold et Paul Metzger (sources : the and the archives of Grussenheim's Town Hall). * * Alphonse Halter, « Gédéon Geismar », in ''Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne'', vol. 12, {{DEFAULTSORT:Geismar, Gedeon 1931 deaths 1863 births French Jews Alsatian Jews École Polytechnique alumni Jewish French military personnel French military personnel of World War I Brigadier generals Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Commanders of the Legion of Honour French activists French Zionists