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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The cemetery of the Portuguese Jews, located at the Yser in Bordeaux, is the largest of the three Israeli cemeteries in the city and the only one still in office today. Acquired in 1764, he welcomed the burials of the Bordeaux Jewish communities, especially those of Portuguese and Ashkenaz origin. Its graves, lined in tight rows, present sober and rectangular slabs for the oldest, while the 19th century burials adopt more varied forms, such as sarcophagus or steles in the form of tables of the law. There are epitaphs in Hebrew, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as emblematic Jewish symbols such as the star of David or the seven-pointed candlestick.

This cemetery is home to the graves of prominent figures, such as Hans and Pauline Herzl, children of Theodore Herzl, founder of the State of Israel, or the great Rabbi Joseph Cohen. It also includes descendants of David Gradis, a major figure in the Bordeaux Jewish community in the 18th century. Unlike the other two Jewish cemeteries in Bordeaux (courses of the Marne and rue Sauteyron), that of the course of the Yser has never been disused. There remains an active place of memory, illustrating the diversity and continuity of Jewish traditions in the region.

The history of the Jews in Bordeaux is closely linked to the persecutions of the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition from the end of the 15th century. After their expulsion from Spain in 1492, and shortly thereafter from Portugal, many Jews took refuge in southwestern France, notably in Bordeaux. Thanks to an exceptional status granted by the kings of France, they obtain the right to practise their worship, to trade and to practise trades prohibited elsewhere, in exchange for a tax. Bordeaux, a major port of the modern era, becomes an economic and cultural centre for these communities, which are illustrated in maritime commerce, medicine and even politics.

In the 18th century, the Portuguese Jewish community of Bordeaux had about 327 families. The cemetery of the course of the Yser is created to meet the saturation of the first Jewish cemetery, located in the course of the Marne, acquired in 1724 by David Gradis. The latter, the trustee of the community, plays a key role in organizing Jewish burials in Bordeaux. The oldest graves in the Yser Cemetery date back to the 1760s, while later burials reflect the evolution of funeral practices and the gradual integration of Ashkenazi Jews.

The Second World War marked a turning point in the history of Bordeaux Jews, thanks in particular to the action of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Portuguese consul in Bordeaux. In 1940, despite Salazar's orders prohibiting the issuance of visas to refugees, Sousa Mendes issued about 10,000 visas in a few weeks, saving thousands of Jews. This episode strengthens the links between the Bordeaux and Portuguese Jewish communities, while stressing the role of Bordeaux as a historic host country.

Today, the cemetery of the course of the Yser remains a place of recollection and heritage, testifying to the cultural and historical richness of the Jews in Bordeaux. Its architecture, multilingual epitaphs and religious symbols make it a unique site, classified as a historical monument since 1995. It embodies the memory of the Jewish communities that shaped the identity of the city, from the refugees of the Inquisition to the Ashkenazi families of the 19th century.

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