The Jewish Story of Bouxwiller, France

Selestat Synagogue

Sélestat is an ancient community, which disappeared in the 16th century. It was not reconstituted at the 19th century. The oratory, dating from 1836 and installed at the Poêle des Laboureurs, was replaced by a synagogue, built in 1890. The latter, ransacked by the Nazis, was restored after the war without the original dome. The rabbinate of Sélestat dates from 1866 and replaces that of Muttersholtz. In the 14th century the community was relatively large, judging by the size of the Jewish quarter. The synagogue was located in an alleyway, which is still visible today, next to the "pharmacie du Soleil" in the "rue des Clefs" (then "Judengasse") and which connected with the "rue Ste-Barbe" (then "Schmiedgasse"). The name of Rabbi Ahron, to whom people came from Strasbourg to study the sacred texts, and especially that of his son, the famous Rav Schemouel Schlettstadt, who directed the yeshivah (talmudic school) of Strasbourg and is known as a compiler and decision-maker, have been preserved from this century. The synagogue having been destroyed in 1470 to make way for the former St. Barbe arsenal, the community acquired, through the intermediary of the Magistrate, the former Poële des Laboureurs to establish its new place of worship. This building can still be seen at no. 3 Rue Ste-Barbe (rear part of the Boespflug building). The expression "auf der Judschul" (which previously referred only to the Place Ste-Barbe) was commonly used to designate the future Rue des Juifs, which became Rue Ste-Barbe in 1910. After several waves of persecutions and expulsions, notably in 1349, during the Black Death, when the Jews of Western Europe were accused of having poisoned the wells, they were definitively expelled from Sélestat around 1650. However, Jewish merchants and showmen were authorized to come and practice their trade at the annual fairs as well as the weekly markets. This situation lasted until the Revolution. In 1622, on the other hand, the Jews of Bergheim, Ribeauvillé, Scherwiller and Dambach founded the present Israelite cemetery in Sélestat. It had to be enlarged several times afterwards. This is where Reisel Sée, whose filial love was immortalized by the moralists of the Revolution, was later buried. In 1890, the architect of the city of Selestat, Alexandre Stamm (1835-1906), designed a new building. It has a central plan, like many Rhine synagogues, and is in the Romanesque-Byzantine style. It is a beautifully colored building with alternating pink sandstone, light sandstone and brick. The dome on a drum "with oculus" which decorated it was destroyed by the Nazis in 1940 and was not rebuilt. During this restoration, the old ritual bath (Mikveh) from 1836, part of an earlier building, was discovered in the basement. The Hebrew inscription above the main door means: "This is the door of the Lord. The righteous shall pass through it". Image credit: © Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I, Olevy, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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The Cemetery of Saverne

In the 17th century, a cemetery of nearly one hectare was granted to the Jews on the wasteland of the Sandberg, whose name was changed to Judenberg. This cemetery was enclosed in the 18th century and is still in use. Although the Revolution caused some damage, there are some beautiful baroque tombs with engraved shells and some impressive headstones. Image credit: cimetière israélite de Saverne © office de tourisme de Saverne et sa région

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The Synagogue of Saverne

A simple and modest oratory served for a long time as a place of worship for the Jews of Saverne in a house of the "Judenhof", the courtyard of the Jews. In 1749, the Levi-Segal family donated a magnificent "Pahohet" (holy closet curtain) which was later displayed in the first synagogue. This "Pahohet" is on display in the Museum of the Château des Rohan in Saverne as part of a permanent display case inaugurated in 2018. In 1779, thanks to two private donors, Salomon Lippmann and Simon Cerf, the first synagogue was built on “Rue des Juifs”. In 1835, a new synagogue was built to extend the old one, which was partially destroyed by fire in 1850. It was not until 1900 that the present synagogue was built, far from the "Judenhof", with its bulb marking the neo-Gothic orientalist style wanted at the time of its construction and preserved at the time of its reconstruction, as well as the building with oratory. Occupied and devastated by the Germans during the last war, it was restored and re-inaugurated in 1950. Its size was reduced, the unused part being converted into an apartment. The pulpit of the old synagogue, visible in the oratory adjacent to the current synagogue, as well as the altar of the same origin, used in the main place of worship, are registered in the inventory of Historic Monuments. Image credit: Synagogue de Saverne © office de tourisme de Saverne et sa région

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Marmoutier the Museum

After the fire of the first monastery dating from 589, its reconstruction was undertaken in 724 under the direction of the abbot Maur, who gave it its name "Mauri monasterium", the monastery of Mauri. The inhabitants are called Maurimonasterians in reference to this name. Located on the Romanesque Road of Alsace, the country of Marmoutier welcomes you in its cultural buildings, the abbey and its archaeological crypt, the SIlbermann organs, the museum of the heritage and the Alsatian Judaism, its craftsmen, its natural and technical heritage. Discovery packages are also available by the day. Marmoutier is one of the oldest and most important Jewish communities in Alsace: the Jewish presence is attested in writing as early as 1300. At its peak, in 1846, Marmoutier had 497 Jews (out of 1783 inhabitants). As early as 1755, Marmoutier was the seat of a rabbinate (the rabbi was appointed by the abbot of Marmoutier, lord of the Marche de Marmoutier). The rabbinate was abolished in 1910 (the last rabbi, Isaac Lévy, having been appointed in Phalsbourg in 1904). The Museum of Marmoutier reserves an important place to the Jewish community, according to the important role of this community in the history of the town. The house in which the museum is located, a beautiful half-timbered house built in 1590, was inhabited by Jews from 1680 to 1922. Traces of Judaism can be found in the house: Mezuzot on the door frames, a removable roof on the oriel that housed the Soukka, which has now disappeared, and most of all a Mikvé, a ritual bath, from the 18th century. It contains an important and beautiful collection of Jewish cult objects, both synagogal (Torah scrolls, curtain of the holy closet) and domestic (accessories for Kiddush, Havdalah, Seder, holidays, circumcision). In addition, the museum has an important collection of items of Alsatian folk art and traditions.

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Rosheim

At the beginning of the 16th century, in a chaotic Holy Roman Empire due to unending conflicts, wars of religion and peasant revolts, plagued by all kinds of fears, the Jews were targeted with a lot of popular hatred. It was in this context of violence that, in the small imperial town of Rosheim, in Lower Alsace, a scholar turned pawnbroker, Yossel (1476-1554), rose to defend his persecuted Jewish brothers. He went to meet with great men of his time in order to lift the threat on his co-religionists throughout the Empire. He succeeded in placing the Jews under the direct protection of Charles V. The emperor, listening to their counsel, repeatedly defended them against the terrible decisions of the princes and cities. Uniquely in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, the German Jews had a representative who was both invested by his brothers and recognized by the princes. Thanks to a safe-conduct from the emperor, the one who was since called "Yossel of Rosheim, commander of the German Jews" was able to travel everywhere, tirelessly defending his brothers in courts and imperial diets, and during public controversies.

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Rosenwiller Cemetery

A charming wine-growing village, Rosenwiller is located in the hills above Rosheim, surrounded by hills rich with especially diverse wildlife and plants. At the edge of the woods, the Jewish Cemetery, one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Alsace, contains over 6,000 tombs featuring highly original sun patterns on the gravestones. A stroll through the vineyards will give you the chance to admire the panoramic views of the plain, before going to taste the various grape types of Alsace wine, which have been grown here since the 6th century.

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Synagogue of Obernai

A Jewish community was mentioned here for the first time as early as 1215. The synagogue was built in 1876 and was financed by the 205 members of the Jewish community of that time. Among the many historical remains of Obernai three sites show the presence of an ancient and important Jewish community that still exists today. The oldest remains can be found in the ruelle des Juifs, on the upright of a semi-circular sandstone portal, Hebrew letters are engraved, uneasy to decipher. This is probably the entrance to the first medieval synagogue, the one mentioned in 1454. At 43 rue du Général Gouraud, in a courtyard located behind the portal, several elements remind us of the presence of a place of worship: A keystone of an arcade bears the Hebrew date of 5456 and the corresponding date of the Christian era, 1696. The synagogue was built on the first floor, two years after Intendant La Grange authorized Jews to own houses. Under the entrance porch a corner sideboard shows the two blessing hands of Aaron, and the inscription: “the Master, Rabbi Samson, the Cohen”. In the doorframe in the back an oblique notch shows the place of the mezuzah. Along the walls and in the stairwell to the right, protected by a glass roof, one can see elements of the old synagogue, built thanks to the generosity of Jacob Baruch Weyl in 1771. These are the remains of the holy ark (aron hakodesh), which contained the Torah scrolls, and of the reading gallery (almemor) where the rabbis officiated and where the Bima or table for placing the Torah scrolls was located. This is a rare example of rococo decoration in an Alsatian synagogue and act as a compensation for the sobriety of the exterior of the building. One can also discern the traces of three hammered lilies, reminding us that Louis XIV protected the Jews of Alsace. The present synagogue is a neo-Romanesque building built according to the plans of the architect Brion, inaugurated in 1876 and re-inaugurated in 1948. The tympanum of the entrance portal bears the Star of David with French and Hebrew inscriptions. Two sculpted capitals on either side of the door are the rare elements of exterior decoration. Images attribution: © Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons; Chris06, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons; I, Ondřej Žváček, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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Mulhouse Synagogue

In 1798, the Jews returned to settle in Mulhouse, where there had been no Jewish families since the beginning of the 16th century. The worship was celebrated in various places of prayer which quickly became too small. A new synagogue, in an oriental style, built by JB Schacre, was inaugurated in 1849. The architect plays on the difference in proportions and materials: there is a disproportion between the high and wide nave with slender bays and the narrow side aisles. very low, with squat openings. Inside, the nave is covered with white plaster, while the aisles are in pink sandstone. The gable wall overlooking the rue des Rabbins is the most ornate part of the building; on the triangular pediment, the tables of the law surmounted by an oculus are flanked by seven-branched candlesticks, the menorah, supported by pilasters. Several beautiful Judaica objects and a set of paintings by the famous painter Mané Katz are displayed in the community center room (Paul Jacob collection).

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Ingwiller Synagogue

It is to this location, at the foot of the Northern Vosges and on the edge of an agricultural plain, that Ingwiller undoubtedly owes its origin and probably its commercial vocation. Thus, Ingwiller was elevated to the rank of town on 11 May 1345 and was thus able to hold a market and surround itself with ramparts. Until the end of the 19th century, Ingwiller remained a rural and artisanal town of weavers, laundry workers, and brewers. Photo credit: © Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons; GFreihalter, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons; GFreihalter, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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Jewish Alsatian Museum

"Artifacts and places recount history better than books." This sentence welcomes you as you arrive at the Jewish Alsatian Museum, a museum unlike any other. It displays the culture of the Jews of Alsace, evoking day to day life along with their Christian neighbours. As soon as you enter, a Jewish candlestick is lit at the window of a half-timbered house. A narrow-vaulted passage gives access to a "rue des Juifs". It is along an ascending gallery that one can follow and discover the slow progress "from slavery to freedom" of these Jews, serfs of the Crown until the French Revolution. Elsewhere, a sloping street lined with stores informs the visitor about the social progress of the last century. A turning point, a dark rotunda: the Shoah... The path is lined with mannequins, ceramic models meticulously showing, in three dimensions, scenes of daily life inspired by engravings, costumed dolls, and architectural models. And here, as the rooms go by, these miserable rural people, peddlers or wholesale butchers, living among poor peasants, appear as rich in tradition, in quiet faith, in conviviality, in biblical knowledge, and in hope. Image credit: Musée judeo alsacien de Bouxwiller © Association des musées d'Alsace

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Reichshoffen Synagoge

This building, dating back to the very end of the Second Republic (1852), is the successor to an ancient schüle" (house of study and prayer in Judeo-Alsatian) of the 18th century which had become too small. This large synagogue has not been used as such since the death of its last cantor in 1967. Its architecture, the work of Albert Haas, is a rare and unique example in Alsace of the transition between the old hidden synagogues of the Ancien Régime (Kingdom of France) and the more ostentatious buildings that became the markers of the emancipation and integration of the Jews during the 19th century. Image credit: Ikar.us, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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The Jewish Story of Haguenau, France

Haguenau is the 4th largest city in Alsace, located about thirty kilometers north of Strasbourg. It is both an industrial and commercial city with a pleasant pedestrian city center, beautiful 18th century buildings, museums, green spaces, and diversified events throughout the year. You can discover the rich heritage of 18th century Haguenau on a self-guided audio walking tour available at the tourist office in French, German, or English. There is also a child-friendly version of the audio tour, and guided in-person tours during the summers. Records suggest that Jews have lived in Haguenau as early as 1235. This was the year that many other Jewish communities were affected by the blood libel conspiracies, but thanks to the emperor’s protection they suffered no harm. The Jews had to pay taxes to both the emperor and the municipality, the latter of which protected them in 1338 against the Armleder bands, but unsuccessfully at the time of the Black Death. In 1349, the Jewish community was destroyed, but a new community was formed in 1354. A home on Rue du Sel was used as a synagogue and Haguenau became a refuge for the Jews from the surrounding regions. Many Polish Jews settled in Haguenau during the second half of the 17th century, and a rabbi joined the community in 1660. There are a few notable rabbis who led the Jewish community in Haguenau including Meyer Jaïs, who later became the chief rabbi of Paris. In 1735 there were 34 families in the Haguenau Jewish community; the community grew to 64 families in 1784, and 600 individuals on the eve of World War II. However, 148 of the 600 died in deportation and in battle and in 1968, the community numbered about 300. This number has since grown to 700 in the 21st century. The present synagogue that can be seen on the Rue des Juifs was built in 1821, and there is still a cemetery which has been in use since the 16th century. Haguenau has three popular museums that will enhance your stay: the Luggage Museum, the Alsatian Museum and the Historical Museum. There is also the remarkable Haguenau forest (the 6th largest forest in France) which is located near the city center, perfect for hiking or cycling. You can also relax and settle on the terrace of the inn which is located at the place called "Le Gros Chêne,” a privileged place for families, in the heart of the forest massif.

yannis wissinger's other listings

Selestat Synagogue

The Cemetery of Saverne

The Synagogue of Saverne

Marmoutier the Museum

Rosheim

Rosenwiller Cemetery

Synagogue of Obernai

Mulhouse Synagogue

Ingwiller Synagogue

Jewish Alsatian Museum

Reichshoffen Synagoge

The Jewish Story of Haguenau, France

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