Synagogue (Foussemagne)
The synagogue of Foussemagne , a community in the Territoire de Belfort department in the French region Franche-Comté , is a former church that was built in 1864/65. The building on rue d'Alsace, opposite the town hall, has been a protected monument since 1984 ( Monument historique ).
history
The Jewish community in Foussemagne emerged in the 18th century. Six Jewish families lived in the village in 1720 and 22 in 1772. Their houses were all in part of the village and they earned their income as cattle and horse traders, butchers and peddlers .
Foussemagne is the only parish in France that has a synagogue but no church. The journalist André Frossard mentions this fact in his 1969 book Dieu existe, je l'ai rencontré ("God exists, I met him.")
synagogue
The synagogue, inaugurated on June 8, 1865, replaced a dilapidated and too small church. The building with four axes and arched windows on both floors has three entrances on the gable side. The gallery was reserved for women. In 1880 a Jewish school building was added to the synagogue.
The Jewish community lost more and more members through emigration to the cities, so that from 1935 the minyan was no longer guaranteed. After the German invasion in World War II , the synagogue was closed and robbed in 1940. After the building was sold to a miller and used as a warehouse for a long time, the Foussemagne community bought the former church in 2008 to set up a museum. In 2011 a commemorative plaque was placed on the left side door of the north gable.
Web links
- Synagogue Foussemagne Description as a monument historique in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French text)
- Synagogue (Foussemagne): Text of the Mairie (French text)
Coordinates: 47 ° 38 '4.6 " N , 7 ° 0" 8.2 " E