One of the last survivors of legendary anti-fascist fighters the 43 Group dies
Jules Konopinski, who was 93, came to Britain with his mother in 1939, escaping the Nazis “by the skin of my teeth”.
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
One of the last survivors of the legendary antifascist fighters, the 43 Group, Jules Konopinski, has died aged 93.
Julius, always known as Jules, was born in Breslau, Germany, in 1930 and came to Britain with his mother in 1939, escaping the Nazis “by the skin of my teeth”. Only eight years later the tough 17-year-old was fighting fascists on the streets of London with other young men (and a few women) who had formed the 43 Group.
Jules Konopinski’s exact contemporary in street-fighting was the future celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon. He remembered, years later, that “we did not intend to allow the fascists ever again to rule the streets of London. And so it began. We had turned the other cheek for the last time and, as a 17-year-old recruit, I was proud to be involved.”
Though it was called the 43 Group, the name did not refer to the year of formation. In fact, it was named for the street number of the then Maccabi House in Hampstead, and the original founders were ex-servicemen who were appalled to have returned to Britain after fighting Nazism in Europe, only to find the handful ideology flourishing at home.
The 43 Group vowed to stop the fascists by whatever means possible and soon Konopinski and others were involved in often violent confrontations on the streets.
Daniel Sonabend, author of a well-regarded book about the Group, said: “This was happening in the shadow of the second world war and the Holocaust. Some of these Jewish men and women had escaped nazism, some had seen the concentration camps, some had been prisoners of war, plenty had lost family
“They had seen how fundamentally violent fascism is when it is allowed to take the reins of power. These people will kill us, put us in the gas chambers. Therefore, they said, we have to stand up for ourselves.”
Jules Konopinski found a safe haven in Britain, but discovered after the war that he had lost nine close family members in concentration camps. He called the work of the 43 Group “a necessary defence”.
Speaking in behalf of the Community Security Trust, its chief executive Mark Gardner told Jewish News: “Everyone at CST is sad to hear about the passing of Julius Konopinski, a true hero to our community. A founding member of the UK Jewish anti-fascist 43 Group and the 62 Group that preceded CST, Jules bravely fought to defend British Jews. We wish his family a long life and, in his honour, reaffirm our commitment to protecting our community”.
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