Georges Yoram Federmann

Georges Yoram Federmann
Born	17 July 1955 (1955-07-17) (age 69) Casablanca, Morocco
Occupation	psychiatrist

Georges Yoram Federmann (born 17 July 1955) is a French psychiatrist based in Strasbourg. He founded the Menachem-Taffel circle in 1997.

Biography

Family and education

Originally from Casablanca, Morocco, his family moved to France in 1963. Naturalized French, the Federmanns settled in Paris on Rue de Lancry, then in Avignon, where Federmann attended Jean-Henri Fabre elementary school from 1963 to 1966. The family later moved to Nîmes for two years, where Federmann attended Jean-Henri Fabre Middle School, then to Marseille until 1972, and finally to Strasbourg. After studying medicine, Federmann specialized in psychiatry, focusing on the care of war invalids (including the "Malgré-nous" or forcibly conscripted), drug addicts, and undocumented immigrants.

Career

A Jewish activist on the far-left, Federmann advocates for marginalized people and recognizes Israel's right to exist while supporting the Palestinian cause. Through the Menachem-Taffel circle, an association advocating for the recognition and memory of atrocities committed in Strasbourg by Professor August Hirt at the Nazi medical school, he helped restore the identities of the 86 Jewish victims of these crimes. In 2011, part of Quai Pasteur in Strasbourg was renamed Quai Menachem Taffel, after the first identified victim. In 2015, the documentary Le Divan Du Monde (directed by Swen De Pauw) followed his psychiatry consultations. In 2019, the documentary Comme Elle Vient revealed the political and philosophical details of his humanist commitment, filmed in one night face-to-camera (also directed by Swen De Pauw).

In 1980, he married Véronique Dutriez, an activist teacher, with whom he had three children. Véronique was tragically killed by a patient on 16 November 2005. In 2007, he remarried Anja Vogel, a Radio France journalist specializing in Europe, with whom he had two children.

Medical practice

Federmann studied medicine at the University of Strasbourg from 1975 to 1987 and opened a private psychiatry practice in 1987. His 1985 medical thesis, "Reading in a Psychiatric Hospital: Its Use, Place, and Functions," outlined the concept of "Bibliotherapy." He developed a distinctive psychiatry practice, particularly with the most vulnerable patients (war veterans, drug addicts, and undocumented people), receiving them without appointments. His prescriptions are tailored to the needs of the patient, whom he considers the true expert on their suffering. In 2005, he filed a complaint with the Medical Council against health ministers Jean-François Mattei and Philippe Douste-Blazy for complicating access to healthcare for recipients of the State Medical Aid (AME). Since 2008, he has led the medical team of Amnesty International in Alsace.

Relationship with Judaism

Born into a Moroccan Jewish family (with paternal origins in Galicia, Ottoman Palestine, and later British Palestine), Federmann began questioning his relationship with Judaism during his medical studies. He found in medicine a way to transcend the communal aspect of any religion, stating that he was "born Jewish and then converted to the practice of medicine." He supports Israel's right to exist while also advocating for Palestinian rights. He views Judaism in the West as a political, anthropological, and social function, embodying both utopian and scapegoat roles.

Despite criticism from some within the Jewish community in Strasbourg for his political positions, his ongoing commitment to Jewish memory is now widely recognized, as evidenced by his listing on the "Judaïsme Alsacien" website. He has participated in numerous interfaith events over the past 30 years, alongside pastors, priests, and imams, reflecting his dedication to inter-religious collaboration.

In 2019, the city of Strasbourg invited him to contribute to the November page of the interfaith calendar, alongside figures like Pope Francis and Archbishop Monseigneur Ravel.

2005 assault

On 15 November 2005 a patient attacked both Federmann and his wife, Véronique, in his Strasbourg office. Véronique died the next day at the age of 51, while Federmann, shot four times at close range, recovered after several months of convalescence. A year later, he created the Véronique Dutriez Prize, awarded annually in April to recognize artistic, historical, or sociological works that promote the memory and understanding of genocides and totalitarianism.

Activism

Ras l'Front-Strasbourg: In 1990, alongside teachers Michel Kraft and Véronique Dutriez and sociologists Roland Pfefferkorn and Alain Bihr, Federmann co-founded the Strasbourg branch of the anti-racism organization Ras l'Front, serving as its president for many years. Support for Jacques Gaillot: Since 1995, he organized numerous meetings between local social activists and the activist bishop Jacques Gaillot. The Roms of Zámoly: In 2000, Federmann assisted a group of Hungarian Roma fleeing persecution, helping them gain asylum in France by 2003. Siné Hebdo: He contributed to the Siné Hebdo newspaper from its 2008 inception. Citizens of the World: Inspired by pacifist Garry Davis, Federmann joined the World Citizen movement in the 1990s and was elected a delegate by the People's Congress in 2010 for a nine-year term. MRAP (Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples): In 1998, he helped create the Strasbourg chapter of MRAP, becoming its president in 2016. Federmann’ work with the Menachem Taffel circle has been critical in commemorating the victims of Nazi medical experiments in Strasbourg, as well as promoting broader historical awareness through initiatives like the Pavés de la Mémoire project, which honors local Nazi victims.

Videography

• Le Divan du Monde (2015)
• Comme Elle Vient (2019), directed by Swen de Pauw,