The Israelite Seminary of France ( French: Le séminaire israélite de France (SIF)) also known as the Central Rabbinical School of France (L'école centrale rabbinique de France), is a Rabbinical school that trains Orthodox rabbis in France. Founded in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

in 1829 as the Central Rabbinical School of Metz, it moved to Paris in 1859, where it is based in the city's 5th arrondissement. The school is connected with the

Israelite Central Consistory of France The Israelite Central Consistory of France () is an institution set up by Napoleon I by the Imperial Decree of 17 March 1808 to administer Jewish worship and congregations in France. He also directed the establishment of regional Israelite Consisto ...

, one of the major bodies of

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...

in France.

History

In 1820, discussions began over the creation of a rabbinical school in France. On August 21, 1829, a seminary was requested by the Central Consistory and granted by ministerial order. The buildings were inaugurated on June 1, 1830 at 47 Rue d'Arsenal in Metz. Metz was at that point an important center of the Jewish community. On March 22, 1831, an order of King

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

allowed for state financing for the school. On July 1, 1859, the school moved to Paris after a royal decree by

Empress Eugenie The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother ( empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rul ...

. It took the name ''Séminaire israélite.'' It was temporarily set up at the Derenbourg-Springer Institution at 10 Rue de Parc-Royal in the 3e arrondissement of Paris, and later at 57

Boulevard Richard-Lenoir The Boulevard Richard-Lenoir (), running from the Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used ...

in the 11e arrondissement. The Consistory bought 1500 square meters of land at 9 Rue Vauquelin in the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

of the 5e arrondissement, the center of French intellectual life. David Bloqué, an Alsatian living in Paris, gave a generous donation to the school. The student-rabbis moved to the Latin Quarter location on April 11, 1881. An oratory was inaugurated during

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

1883. The 1905 law on the separation of Church and State ended the state's financial contribution to the school. The school kept the name Séminaire israélite de France (SIF), while the rabbinical school also became known as the l’École rabbinique de France. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the seminary moved to

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

for a few months in 1940. From 1941 to July 1942, it was located in

Chamalières Chamalières (; Auvergnat: ) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, central France. With 17,276 inhabitants (2019), Chamalières is the fourth-largest town in the department. It lies adjacent to the west of Clermo ...

, near

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...

. In October 1942, it moved to

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. The school was dissolved in 1943 and functioned underground until 1945. After the

Liberation of France The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany in ...

, it resumed its activities.

Mission

Since its founding in 1830, the seminary has had over 400 students, with over 300 graduating with a diploma. Its primary goal is to produce rabbis, though for many years some graduates have become chanters or

Hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...

im. Of the nineteen Chief Rabbis of France (including interim) since the creation of the role, the last nine Chief Rabbis were ordained by the Seminary. The Seminary library specializes in the Bible, the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

, ''Halacha'',

Rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire corpus of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic ...

Talmudic law Talmudic law is the law that is derived from the Talmud based on the teachings of the Talmudic Sages. * See Talmud or Talmudical Hermeneutics Talmudical hermeneutics (Hebrew: מידות שהתורה נדרשת בהן) defines the rules and metho ...

homilies A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered e ...

, and in the history and sociology of Judaism. It is a part of the European Network of Libraries of Judaica and

Hebraica Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language until ...

, which they founded in July 2004 with the library of the

Alliance Israélite Universelle The Alliance israélite universelle (AIU; ; ) is a Paris-based international Jewish organization founded in 1860 with the purpose of safeguarding human rights for Jews around the world. It promotes the ideals of Jewish self-defense and self-suffi ...

and the Medem Library, House of Yiddish Culture. The network is associated with the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

Directors

* 1830–1837 : Lion Mayer (Judah Meir) Lambert * 1837–1856 : Mayer Lazard * 1856–1890 : Isaac Léon Trenel * 1890–1917 : Joseph Lehmann, * 1919–1931 : Jules Bauer * 1932–1949 : Maurice Liber * 1949–1951 :

Ernest Gugenheim Ernest Simha Gugenheim (January 22, 1916 – March 22, 1977) was a French rabbi. He was a teacher, and later director, at the Israelite Seminary of France, and was one of the prominent figures of French Jewry. Biography Gugenheim was born in ...

, interim director * 1951–1977 : Henri Schilli * 1977-1977 : Ernest Gugenheim (a few days before his death) * 1977–1991 : Emmanuel Chouchena * 1992–2012 :

Michel Gugenheim Michel Gugenheim is the Chief Rabbi of Paris. He also assumed the position of interim Chief Rabbi of France in 2013 after the resignation of Gilles Bernheim, the previous Chief Rabbi of France and remained in that position until the election of Ra ...

* 2013– : Olivier Kaufmann

Notable alumni, professors and administrators

* Gilles Bernheim (1952–), Chief Rabbi of France (2009–2013) *

Arsène Darmesteter Arsène Darmesteter (5 January 184616 November 1888) was a distinguished French philologist and man of letters. Biography He studied under Bruno Paulin Gaston Paris, Gaston Paris at the École pratique des hautes études, and became professor of ...

(1846–1888), student for a short period, later a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Hartwig Derenbourg Hartwig Derenbourg (17 June 1844 – 12 April 1908) was a French Orientalist. Biography Hartwig Derenbourg was born in Paris, where he studied Hebrew, Arabic, and other Semitic languages as a pupil of Joseph Toussaint Reinaud, Salomon Ulmann ...

(1844–1908),

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. They include Arabic, Amharic, Tigrinya language, Tigrinya, Aramaic, Hebrew language, Hebrew, Maltese language, Maltese, Modern South Arabian language ...

Joseph Derenbourg Joseph Derenbourg, or Joseph Naftali Derenburg (21 August 1811 – 29 July 1895) was a Franco-German orientalist. He was born in Mainz (then French-controlled), as a youngest son of the lawyer Jacob Derenburg. According to the 1911 ''Enc ...

(1811–1895),

Arabist An Arabist is someone, often but not always from outside the Arab world, who specialises in the study of the Arabic language and Arab culture, culture (usually including Arabic literature). Origins Arabists began in Al Andalus, medieval Muslim ...

, student and teacher *

Josy Eisenberg Josy (Yossef) Eisenberg (12 December 1933 – 8 December 2017) was a French television producer and rabbi. A Hasidic Jew of Polish origin (his father Oscar (Ovadia) was a Polish-born rabbi), he produced an animated TV show, ''À bible ouverte'' ...

(1933–2017), Television producer and Rabbi *

David Feuerwerker David Feuerwerker (October 2, 1912 – June 20, 1980) was a French Jewish rabbi and professor of Jewish history who was effective in the resistance to German occupation the Second World War. He was completely unsuspected until six months before ...

(1912–1980), Rabbi of

Brive-la-Gaillarde Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of ), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the aggl ...

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

, Rabbi of the Rue des Tournelles Synagogue (Paris), the Rue Chasseloup-Laubat Synagogue (Paris), and member of the Beth din and Vaad Haïr of

Montréal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

(

Québec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

, Canada) *

(1950–), Rabbi of Michkenot Israël Synagogue (Paris),

of Paris, Interim co-Chief Rabbi of France (2013–2014) (with Olivier Kaufmann) *

René Gutman René Gutman (born in Rouen in 1950) was Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg from 1987 to 2017. Biography René Gutman grew up in Rouen, where his father Alexandre Gutman was the local rabbi. He spent several years in Israel, dedicating himself to religi ...

(1950–), Rabbi of

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

of Brussels,

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and the

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin () is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) de ...

Paul Janet Paul Alexandre René Janet (; 30 April 1823 – 4 October 1899) was a French philosopher and writer. Biography Born in Paris, he became professor of moral philosophy at Bourges (1845–1848) and Strasbourg (1848–1857), and of logic at the ''ly ...

(1823–1899),

Teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

* Zadoc Kahn (1839–1905), Chief Rabbi de France (1889–1905) *

Haïm Korsia Haïm Korsia (born 27 September 1963) is the Chief Rabbi of France. He was elected by the Central Consistory. Already serving as Jewish chaplain of the French army, Korsia was also head of a rabbinical school. He was elected in June 2014 and b ...

(1963–), Rabbi of

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

(for holidays), Rabbi of

, Chief Rabbi of France (2014–) *

Mayer Lambert Mayer Lambert (December 23, 1863 – October 30, 1930) was a French Jewish Oriental scholar and Hebraist. Life Lambert was born on December 23, 1863, in Metz, France, the son of the religious textbook author Elie Lambert. His grandfather was Chi ...

(1863–1930), orientalist *

Emmanuel Levinas Emmanuel Levinas (born Emanuelis Levinas ; ; 12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the rel ...

(1906–1995),

Philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, student and teacher *

Alfred Lévy Alfred Lévy (; 14 December 1840 – 23 July 1919) was a French rabbi who became Chief Rabbi of France in the period immediately before and during World War I. Life Alfred Lévy was born in Lunéville on 14 December 1840. He studied at the Coll� ...

(1840–1919), Chief Rabbi of France (1907–1919) *

Sylvain Lévi Sylvain Lévi (; March 28, 1863 – October 30, 1935) was an influential French intellectual and author whose specialities were oriental studies and India. He taught Sanskrit and Indian religions at the École pratique des hautes études in ...

(1863–1935),

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...

, student and teacher *

Isidore Loeb Isidore Loeb (1 November 1839 – 3 June 1892) was a French scholar born in Soultzmatt, Haut-Rhin. The son of Rabbi Seligmann Loeb of Sulzmatt, he was educated in Bible and Talmud by his father. After having followed the usual course in the publ ...

(1839–1892), teacher of history and Jewish studies (1878–1890) * Georges Loinger, (1910–2018), Member of the French Resistance * Samuel Naumbourg (1817–1880), Teacher of liturgical music * Isaïe Schwartz (1876–1952), Interim Rabbi of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, Rabbi of

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and the

, Chief Rabbi of France (1939–1952) *

Joseph Sitruk Joseph Haïm Sitruk (‎; 16 October 1944 – 25 September 2016) was a former Chief Rabbi of France, a position he held from June 1987 to 22 June 2008. Born Joseph Sitruk in Tunis, after suffering a stroke in 2001 and recovering he added the nam ...

(1944–2016), Rabbi of

, Chief Rabbi of France (1987–2008) *

Georges Vajda Georges Vajda (18 November 1908 - 7 October 1981) was a French Arabist and Hebraist, scholar of Islam, and historian of medieval Jewish thought. Biography Georges Vajda was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary and studied at the rabbinic seminary an ...

(1908–1981)

Historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

of medieval Jewish thought, teacher of bible and Jewish theology * Roger Winsbacher (1928–2012), Rabbi of Saint-Louis (

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

Obernai Obernai (Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Owernah''; ) is Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It lies on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains. Obernai is a rapidly g ...

(

), and Adath Israel synagogue in

Bibliography

* Jules Bauer, ''L'École rabbinique de France 1830–1930'', PUF, Paris, 1930. * Roger Berg, ''Histoire du rabbinat français (XVIe-XXe siècle)'', collection Patrimoines-Judaïsme, Éditions du Cerf, Paris, 1992, . * Robert K. Wittman et David Kinney. ''The Devil's Diary. Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich''. Harper & Collins, New York, 2016.

References

External links

Séminaire israélite de France. Historique : de 1830 à nos jours.

Archives du Séminaire israélite de France.

{{Authority control 5th arrondissement of Paris Jews and Judaism in Paris Orthodox Judaism in France