The Union Libérale Israélite de France (ULIF), commonly referred to as the rue Copernic synagogue, is a
Liberal 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, located in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, France. Inaugurated on the first of December 1907, it is the oldest Reform synagogue in France.
History
The synagogue was damaged in a fascist riot in 1941, but was repaired after the war.
1980 attack
On October 3, 1980, on the eve of
Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah or Simhat Torah (, lit., "Rejoicing with/of the Torah", Ashkenazi: ''Simchas Torah'') is a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simch ...
, a bombing was directed against the synagogue of the ULIF. A bomb hidden in a motorcycle went off outside the synagogue, killing four pedestrians.
The bombing was the start of a string of other attacks by terrorists against Jews in Europe. In August 1981, a synagogue in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, Austria, was attacked by
Palestinian gunmen, killing two people, and in October 1981, three people were killed when
a bomb went off in the center of
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , Belgium.
Leadership
Rabbi
Louis Germain Levy(1870-1946) trained at the Seminaire Israelite de France served as its first rabbi.
Rabbi Levy was succeeded by Rabbi Andre Chalom Zaoui (1916-2009) in 1946.
In 1970, Rabbi Daniel Farhi (1941-2021) was appointed the new senior rabbi and left ULIF in 1977 to create the second Reform synagogue of Paris, Mouvement Juif Liberal de France. Rabbi Michael Williams assumed the spiritual leadership of the community in the summer of 1977. He retired in 2014.
An Argentinian-Israeli rabbi, Yossef Kleiner, ordained by the Seminario rabinico was named as Williams successor and served the congregation until 2014.
["Europe Report: Flourishing in France", by Bernard Edinger, Reform Judaism, Spring 2008 ]
Since 2014, Philippe Haddad (ordained by the Seminaire Israelite de France)and Jonas Jacquelin (ordained by Abraham Geiger Kolleg) are its new rabbinic leaders
See also
*
Liberal Jewish Movement of France
The Liberal Jewish Movement of France or MJLF is a Jewish liberal cultural and religious association affiliated with the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Founded in 1977, the movement promotes Jewish religious and cultural life through its two ...
References
External links
Union Libérale Israélite de France(Official Site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Union Liberale Israelite de France
1907 establishments in France
Jewish organizations
Reform synagogues in France
Synagogues in Paris
Synagogues completed in 1907
Buildings and structures in the 16th arrondissement of Paris