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Synagogue à Schirmeck dans le Bas-Rhin

Bas-Rhin

Synagogue

    51 Rue des Écoles
    67130 Schirmeck
Synagogue
Synagogue
Synagogue
Synagogue
Synagogue
Synagogue
Synagogue
Synagogue
Synagogue
Crédit photo : © Ralph Hammann - Wikimedia Commons - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1860
Arrival of the first Jews
1898
Jewish Cemetery Created
1906-1909
Construction of the synagogue
1940-1945
Landfill during the war
6 décembre 1999
Historical monument classification
2007-2014
Complete restoration
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Synagogue (ca. 2 4a): registration by order of 6 December 1999

Key figures

Camille Simonin - Benefactor and Mayor of Schirmeck Offered the field, MP (1919-1924).
David Falk - Architect Co-conceptor of the synagogue.
Émile Wolf - Architect Co-conceptor of the synagogue.
Fernand Bloch - President of the Community Directed the restoration post-1945.
Guillaume II - German Emperor Partially financed the construction.

Origin and history

The Schirmeck Synagogue, built between 1906 and 1909, is the work of the Strasbourg architects David Falk and Émile Wolf. It was erected thanks to a grant of 7,000 marks granted by Emperor William II, Alsace being then under German domination. The land was offered by Camille Simonin, a local figure and future member of parliament, from a pioneering Jewish family in the region.

The Jewish community of Schirmeck developed from 1860, with the arrival of families from Piedmont des Vosges, especially the Simonin. A Jewish cemetery was set up on Rue du Douar in 1898, while a first place of worship, considered inconvenient, preceded the current synagogue. It was inaugurated in July 1909, marking a turning point for the 78 faithful of the time.

The building, centered and inspired by the monumental 19th century synagogues, is distinguished by its thermal bays, its New Byzantine Holy Arch, and a stand reserved for women, located exceptionally on the ground floor. A harmonium, rare in Orthodox synagogues, attested to a liberal practice. The synagogue was sacked during World War II and restored in 1946 under the direction of Fernand Bloch.

Ranked a historic monument in 1999, the synagogue benefited from major restorations between 2007 and 2014, saving its structure and stained glass windows. Disused since 1978, it now welcomes the children of the Henry Lévy vacation colony. Its original architecture and furnishings, preserved, make it a unique testimony to the Alsatian Jewish heritage.

The community, initially attached to the Rabbinate of Epinal and then to that of Mutzig, counted up to 88 members in 1882. Its decline began after 1945, reflecting the demographic and historical upheavals of the region. The Jewish cemetery, desecrated in 1905 and 1907, and the 48 graves that it houses also recall this turbulent history.

External links