Synagogue of Neuilly

Synagogue of Neuilly
French: Synagogue de Neuilly
The synagogue in 2013
Religion
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
Rite
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Michael Azoulay
StatusActive
Location
Location12 rue Ancelle, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine
CountryFrance
Synagogue of Neuilly is located in Paris
Synagogue of Neuilly
Location of the synagogue on the outskirts of Paris
Geographic coordinates48°52′51″N 2°16′06″E / 48.88083°N 2.26833°E / 48.88083; 2.26833
Architecture
Architect(s)1878:
  • Emile Uhlmann
1937
  • Germain Debré
  • Julien Hirsch
TypeSynagogue architecture
StyleByzantine Revival
Date established1869 (as a congregation)
Completed1878
Website
synaneuilly.com
Official nameSynagogue
TypeBase Mérimée
CriteriaPatrimoine architectural
DesignatedApril 22, 1993
Reference no.IA00079692
[1][2]

The Synagogue of Neuilly (French: Synagogue de Neuilly) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 12 rue Ancelle, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, west of Paris, France. The synagogue was built in 1878. The congregation used to worship in the Ashkenazi rite; however is now Sephardi.

The building was listed as a monument historique on April 22, 1993.[1]

History

The first significant evidence of a Jewish presence in Neuilly is the "house of refuge for Jewish children", a home created in 1866 by Coralie Cahen[3] the house also hosted prostitutes and their children. Initially located at Romainville then Neuilly Boulevard Eugene (now Boulevard Victor Hugo),[4] it moved in 1883 to 19, Boulevard de la Saussaye where it stayed until the 1980s. Better known by the abbreviated name of "Refuge," it housed many young Jews isolated, without family, after the Second World War and after the independence of Algeria, and the subsequent massmigration of Jews to France.

By 1869, there was a community located in an apartment at 15 rue Louis-Philippe. Chairman, Godchaux Oulry, a native of Lorraine, succeeded in raising the funds necessary to build a synagogue. Designed by Emile Uhlmann in the Byzantine Revival style,[1] the opening of the synagogue took place in 1878.

The first rabbi of Neuilly in 1888, was Simon Debré, father of Professor Robert Debré and the grandfather of the General de Gaulle's Prime-Minister Michel Debré.

The community grew until World War II and the synagogue expanded in 1937 under the eye of architects Germain Debré and Hirsch.

As it was for all Jewish communities, the war brought desolation. Rabbi Robert Meyers and his wife Suzanne (née Bauer) were deported to Auschwitz in 1943. A plaque outside the synagogue commemorates the deportation of all Jewish inhabitants of Neuilly and others, and the actions of the Righteous Among the Nations in Neuilly. On Rue Edouard Nortier, another plaque commemorates the names of 17 children aged 3 to 11 years, who were housed in a former clinic run by the Nuns, they were on July 25, 1944, rounded up, deported and murdered by the Nazis.[5]

The rebirth after the war was difficult. Rabbi David Feuerwerker created a study circle and a circle of young people. His successor, Rabbi Edouard Gourevitch, saw the arrival in 1962 of huge number of Jews from Algeria who brought a new vitality to the community.[citation needed] In 1975, the Grand Rabbi Jerome Cahen and his wife revived the community, turning resolutely towards youth. The number of believers increased dramatically.[citation needed] In 1978, the centenary of the synagogue was celebrated in the presence of the authorities and former Prime Minister Debré.[citation needed] In 2009, Rabbi Michael Azoulay, a member of the National Consultative Ethics Committee since 2008, succeeded Rabbi Alexis Blum.

Clergy

The following individuals have served as rabbi of the congregation:

Ordinal Officeholder Term started Term ended Time in office Notes
1 Simon Debré 1888 1939 50–51 years
2 Robert Meyers 1928 1943 14–15 years Served concurrently with Rabbi Debré; perished in Auschwitz
3 Henry Soil 1945 1946 0–1 years [6]
4 David Feuerwerker 1946 1948 1–2 years
5 René Kapel 1948 1949 0–1 years [7][8]
6 Edouard Gourevitch 1949 1975 25–26 years [9][10][11][12][13][14]
7 Jerome Cahen 1975 1986 10–11 years Died in office
8 Alexis Blum 1988 2009 20–21 years [15]
9 Michael Azoulay 2009 incumbent 14–15 years [16]

References

  1. ^ a b c Base Mérimée: Synagogue, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. ^ "Synagogue in Neuilly". Historic synagogues of Europe. Foundation for Jewish Heritage and the Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. n.d. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Coralie Cahen, born Levy". AFMEG. Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  4. ^ "Reports of the International Jury of the World Expo 1900" (in French). Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  5. ^ Yagil, Limor (2005). "Rescue and civil disobedience". Christians and Jews under Vichy, 1940-1944. Éditions du Cerf. p. 526. ISBN 2-204-07585-X.
  6. ^ Soil, Henry (1937). Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508): His life, his works. Foundation Sefer.
  7. ^ Zenouda, Sylvia. "René Samuel KAPEL (1907-1994)". Judaism of Alsace and Lorraine.
  8. ^ Fineltin, Marc. "Search: René Kapel". MemoResist.org.
  9. ^ The Haggadah of Passover rites Sephardic and Ashkenazi. International Berg. 1982.
  10. ^ ben Judah the Hasid, Shmuel (1988). A Guide Hasidim. Éditions du Cerf. ISBN 978-2-204-02827-1.
  11. ^ Loew ben Bezalel, Judah (May 1991). The Well of exile. Berg International. ISBN 2-900269-21-0.
  12. ^ Loew ben Bezalel, Judah (1994). The deeds of the LORD. Éditions du Cerf. ISBN 978-2-204-04585-8.
  13. ^ Malki, David (January 2000). The Talmud and its masters. Albin Michel International. ISBN 2-226-01671-6.
  14. ^ Schaefer, Peter (March 2003). Judeophobia: Attitudes toward Jews in the ancient world. Éditions du Cerf. ISBN 978-2-204-06923-6.
  15. ^ "Biographie and bibliography of Rabbi Alexis Blum". Melamed. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  16. ^ "Biography of Michael Azoulay". Les Neuf Mondes. Ccne-ethique.fr. Retrieved November 17, 2010.

Further reading

  • Zenouda, Sylvie, ed. (March 2000). The Synagogue de Neuilly-sur-Seine, 120-year history of a community. S. Zenouda. ISBN 2-9515255-0-8.
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