The Saint-Avold Synagogue is a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

at the corner of Rue des Americains and Rue de la Mertzelle near Place Paul-Collin in

Saint-Avold Saint-Avold (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Sänt Avuur'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated twenty-eight miles (45 km) east of Metz, France and seventeen miles (27 km) southwest ...

, France. The current synagogue building, completed in 1956, replaces a nearby synagogue destroyed during the

German occupation of France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

The presence of a synagogue in this part of

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...

dates back to the 1660s, when an

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

by the local

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

mentioned the existence of a synagogue in the area. One old synagogue was conducting services as early as 1817, when the local businessman who they rented a building from sold the house. A burned building situated on Rue des Anges was then acquired by David Elli, Salomon Nathan and Salomon Friburg, members of the Jewish community of Saint-Avold, and restored by them. One of the floors in the building was then used by the community to serve as a synagogue in June 1824. A new synagogue was constructed in the place of this building in 1825 on orders by the

Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

. Despite the risk of financial ruin, the synagogue was reconstructed between 1858–1860 with the help of a grant by Mayor Charles Joseph Spinga. The architect of the building's facade was Jeannin. In 1871, the

Rabbinic authority Rabbinic authority in Judaism relates to the theological and communal authority attributed to rabbis and their pronouncements in matters of Jewish law. The extent of rabbinic authority differs by various Jewish groups and denominations throughout ...

of Saint-Avold was reorganized by Imperial German authorities and divided into two separate

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

nates: one in

Boulay Boulay is a surname, and may refer to: * Antoine Jacques Claude Joseph, comte Boulay de la Meurthe (1761–1840), French politician and magistrate * Diana Boulay (born 1946), Canadian artist * Étienne Boulay (born 1983), Canadian footballer * F ...

and one in Saint-Avold. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the return of Alsace-Moselle to France, the community lost several German members. The synagogue was renovated between 1922–1923. The newly renovated synagogue hosted the inauguration of Nathan Netter, the

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

, on April 19, 1923. Ransacked and desecrated by the Nazis in 1940, it was turned into a

firehouse __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective eq ...

, and later destroyed. In 1956 the current synagogue was built a few meters from the previous location. Designed by architect Roger Zonca and Studio Constructa, it is located at the corner of Rue des Americains and Rue de la Mertzelle near Place Paul-Collin. During the European Days of Jewish Culture, the synagogue served as a concert space. The new synagogue was vandalized and set on fire on August 31, 1992, but was carefully restored.Pierre Birnbaum, ''Destins juifs : De la Révolution française à Carpentras'', éditions Calmann-Lévy, 1995.

Photo gallery

File:Cim-us-memorial-mosaique.jpg, Cimetière américain, mosaïque du mémorial en forme des tables de la Loi. File:Cim-us-tombe Robert S Kurth.jpg, Cimetière américain, tombe du First Lieutenant (Army Air Corps) Robert S. Kurth. File:Saint-Avold Synagogue 01.jpg, Entrée de la synagogue. File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold.jpg, La synagogue vue de la place Paul Collin avec fontaine. File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold, façade principale.jpg, Façade principale de la synagogue. File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold, la galerie des femmes..jpg, La galerie des femmes (intérieur). File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold, étoile de David.jpg, Étoile de David de la voûte intérieure. File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold, Rouleaux de la Torah..jpg, Rouleaux de la Torah. File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold, chandelier de Hanoucca..jpg, Chandelier de Hanoucca. File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold, Table du Séder de Pessa'h.jpg, Table du Séder de Pessa'h. File:Synagogue de Saint-Avold, Yad ( אצבע ).jpg, Main de lecture -

Yad A yad (, literally "hand"; ''hant'', "hand") is a Jewish ritual pointer, popularly known as a Torah pointer, used by the reader to follow the text during the Torah reading from the parchment Torah scrolls. It is often shaped like a long rod, cap ...

(אצבע).

Bibliography

* J.-C. Eckert et R. Maurer, ''Saint-Avold, cité d’Art ? Visages méconnus de la Lorraine'', tome 1 et 2, imprimerie Léon Louis, Boulay, 1977 (édition numérotée). * Lucien Henrion, Pascal Flaus, ''Si les rues de Saint Nabor m'étaient contées'', imprimerie Léon Louis, Boulay-Moselle, juin 2001. * Bulletins de la Société d’histoire du Pays naborien (Saint-Avold et environs): ''Les cahiers naboriens'' n°6, n°8 et n°18. * « Saint-Avold : voir, toucher et goûter aux symboles des fêtes juives », dans ''Le Républicain lorrain'', 17 octobre 2013. * « Compte de Jean Croonders rendu à la princesse de Phalsbourg et Lixheim, Henriette de Lorraine, dame de Hombourg et Saint-Avold. Recette en deniers de la veuve d’un Juif, Isaac de Saint-Avold, pour la permission de faire le trafic et change des espèces », archives départementales de Meurthe-et-Moselle, B 6510 non folioté, 1631. * « Les juifs lorrains au XVIIIe siècle », dans le ''Bulletin de la Société philomatique vosgienne'', 1898. * « La lignée d’Abraham de Saint-Avold », dans la ''Revue du Cercle de généalogie juive'', n° 66. * Jacques Bloch (sous l’égide du consistoire israélite de la Moselle), ''Le Martyrologue des Juifs de la Moselle''. * Dominique Jarassé, ''L'âge d'or des synagogues'', Herscher éditeur, 1991. * Paul Lévy, ''Tribune Juive'' (Les écoles juives d'Alsace et de Lorraine vers 1833), n°32 - 37, Strasbourg. * Témoignage d'un lycéen au Puy de 1939 à 1945, publié le 30 janvier 2009. Publication de l'association fraternelle des anciens et anciennes élèves du lycée Charles et Adrien Dupuy (Le Puy-en-Velay).

References

External links

Structurae.de

{{Portal bar, architecture, judaism 17th-century synagogues Synagogues in France

History

Photo gallery

Bibliography

See also

References

External links