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Origin and history

The Museum of Jewish Ritual Bath in Bischheim is housed in a large half-timbered house built at the end of the 16th century by Jacques Frédéric Boecklin de Boecklinsau, second son of Jean-Philippe Boecklin. This building, acquired by the Jewish banker Baruch Lévy during the French Revolution, was built to install a mikveh in his cellar. In Jewish tradition, the mikveh — an underground tank fed by a natural source — is used for purification rituals, especially for women. This bath, more essential than a synagogue according to Jewish hygiene laws, is a rare example in France.

The mikveh of Bischheim, classified as a historic monument on 17 May 1977, is distinguished by its Renaissance architecture and natural hydraulic system. Accessible by a renovated spiral staircase, it is 8.5 metres underground, fed by groundwater. Two openings in the vault allow to pour hot water into it to heat the 500 litres of pure water. The bathroom, 4 meters high, preserves wall niches for candles or oil lamps. The house also houses the municipal library and a room dedicated to the history of local Judaism.

The ground floor of the museum, called the David Sintzheim Hall, exhibits Jewish religious objects (torah scrolls, menora, Kiddush sharpener) and documents on the Jewish community of Bischheim. A section is devoted to Émile Waldteufel (1837–1915), a native of the city, a composer famous for his waltzes and music director under Napoleon III. This museum thus illustrates both the Alsatian Jewish heritage and the local cultural history.

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