The Belfort Synagogue is a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 6, rue de l'As-de-Carreau, in the city center of

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

, in the

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

region of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The congregation worships in the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

rite Rite may refer to: Religion * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite (Christianity), sacred rituals in the Christian religion * Ritual family, Christian liturgical traditions; often also called ''liturgical rites'' * Catholic particular ch ...

. The Jewish community was established in the town in the 13th century. Today the congregation is active although the Jewish community is very small. The stone synagogue building was erected in 1857, designed by Léon Jossier and Aristide Poisat in the

Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Or ...

style during the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

. The building was added as a ''

monuments historiques () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' on 18 October 1983. In 2015, the synagogue was one of several synagogue was subject to antisemitic attacks. An old

Jewish cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of s ...

from 1811 is in current use. In the nearby town of

Foussemagne Foussemagne () is a Communes of France, commune in the Territoire de Belfort Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in northeastern France. See also *Communes of the Territoire de Belfort department References External l ...

, Jews from Belfort and Foussemagne renovated the Foussemagne former synagogue building as a

Jewish museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. Notable Jewish museums include: Albania * Solomon Museum, Berat Australia * Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourn ...

Gallery

2015-01-16 17-50-23 ceremonie-synagogue.jpg, Ceremony after the

January 2015 attacks in France January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemispher ...

Monument aux morts du cimetière juif de Belfort.JPG, Monument at the Jewish cemetery of Belfort

References

External links

1857 establishments in France 19th-century synagogues in Europe Ashkenazi synagogues in France Byzantine Revival architecture in France Byzantine Revival synagogues Buildings and structures in Belfort Buildings and structures in the Territoire de Belfort History of Franche-Comté Jewish French history Jewish German history Monuments historiques of Territoire de Belfort Neoclassical architecture in France Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1857 Synagogues in France {{France-synagogue-stub