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Origin and history

The synagogue of Nancy, located 17 boulevard Joffre, was inaugurated in 1788 on the plans of architect Augustin-Charles Piroux, also designer of the one of Lunéville. Built in a swampy area, it was initially accessible by a discreet door. Two centuries later, the urban extension placed it in the city centre. Its present façade, designed by Alfred Thomas in 1935, was enlarged in 1841 and 1861, giving it a monumental appearance despite its modest size. It bears the inscription "You will love your neighbor as yourself" and remains the second oldest synagogue in France still in service, after that of Lunéville (1786).

The Jewish community of Nancy dates back to the Middle Ages, with a proven presence as early as 1470 (about ten families), before their expulsion in 1477. A ducal order of 1721 formalized their return by allowing four families to settle. In the 19th century, the Jews of Nancy strengthened the local economy by creating industries (filatures, shoe factories) and department stores. The Jewish quarter, centered around the synagogue, extended between the Rue des Ponts (where there was a Polish oratory) and the Rue du Grand-Rabbin-Haguenauer, now replaced by the Saint Sebastian shopping centre.

During the Second World War, seven Nigerian policemen saved 300 Jews during the Nazi raid of 19 July 1942. After the war, the organ was rebuilt in 1948 by Roethinger, and the synagogal choir was restored in 2017. In 1984, the synagogue was listed as historical monuments. The Israelite cemetery in Préville (created in 1840) houses a Memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust, including 700 Nigerian deportees. In 1987, twenty shrubs were planted there in memory of twenty Jewish children deported in 1942, aged between 3 and 17.

The architecture of the synagogue reflects its evolution: early neoclassical style, 19th century enlargements, and Art Deco facade (1935). Today, a metal palisade of 3 meters, installed around 2007-2008 for security reasons, partially masks the building. There are about 450 families in the community. The adjacent community centre (19 boulevard Joffre), of cubic form, houses associations such as the UEJF or the Eclaireurs Israelites de France.

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