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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The synagogue of Vesoul, also known as the Israelite temple of Vesoul, was built at 11 bis rue du Moulin-des-Prés in Haute-Saône. It was inaugurated in 1873 to meet the needs of the growing Jewish community, especially after the arrival of Alsatian Jews following the annexation of Alsace in 1871. Designed by architect Charles Dodelier, it served as a place of worship until 1939, before closing permanently in 1945.

The Jewish community of Vesoul, present as early as the 13th century, experienced a first lost synagogue, located on Rue Alsace-Lorraine. After the Revolution, the Jews gradually returned, acquiring a cemetery in 1832 and a first synagogue on Rue du Breuil in 1859. The current synagogue, rectangular with apse and stands, became a symbol of local Jewish life.

In 1909, the synagogue was vandalized by anti-Semitic graffiti related to the Dreyfus affair, perpetrated by journalist Victor Dubuisson. After its decommissioning in 1945, it was used by the Restos du Coeur from 1986 to 2011. Since then, it has been abandoned, despite a brief reopening in 2012 for a commemorative exhibition.

The synagogue is an architectural and historical testimony of the Jewish presence in Franche-Comté. Its designation to historic monuments in 1984 underscores its heritage importance, although its present state is of concern. Successive rabbis, like Isaac Lévy and Justin Schuhl, marked his religious and cultural history.

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