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Jews were living from the 1st, 4th and from the early 5th centuries in Arles, Bordeaux and Lyon. After the French Revolution, equal rights were granted to the Jewish population giving them equal rights as citizens of France. France, being
a Catholic country, adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The French
revolutionary calendar (which used completely different month names) was in
use from October 1793 to January 1806. Then the Gregorian calendar came
back. For lots of
information on when various places switched calendars." From a posting by
Robert Israel israel@math.ubc.ca Before WW II, there were over 300,000 French Jews. About twenty five percent of the Jews of France ( 70,000) were sent to Auschwitz and other extermination camps, meaning that 75% were saved by non-Jewish people. Today, including some 300,000 North African Jews who immigrated to France during the 1950s, there are about 750,000 Jews in a population of approximately 58, 333,000. France is now home to the largest Jewish population in Europe ( and the world's fourth largest Jewish population) mostly due to the massive migration from the late 1950s to the early 1970s of Sephardic Jews from the former North African colonies -- Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.
"A Guide to Research in Paris" - published by The Archives de Paris, is a guide to biographical and genealogical research in Paris. It covers public records, cemeteries, censuses, electoral lists, military archives, almanacs and directories. There is also a map of the Arrondissements (districts) prior to 1860 and those of the present day. Archives de Paris, 18 Bd. Serurier, 75019 Paris, France. "The Algeria Hotel: France, Memory and the Second World War" - the title comes from the Jewish commissariat building that became the nerve center for the French regime's collaboration in genocide - authored by Adam Nossiter and published by Houghton Mifflin, 288 pages $26 "Andre Citroen" - authored by Jacques Wolgensinger and published in January 1991 ISBN: 208-066484-0 "Annuaire de Rapprochement des Familles" - a family finder is available, but only for members of the Cercle de Genealogie Juive Society. http://www.genealoj.org/english/publication.html "Annuaire des Juifs du Comtat Venaissin 1808 to 1890" - authored by Jean-Claude Cohen "Assignment Rescue" - authored by Varian Fray - an informative book about rescue efforts of Jews in southern France in 1940-41. Varian also authored "Surrender on Demand". "At the Edge of the Forest, Schirroffen, Schirroffen" - published in 1995 in French ISBN 2-84208-000-9 "Between France and German: The Jews of Alsace-Lorraine 1871-1918" - authored by Vicki Caron and published by Stanford University Press in 1988 "Catalogue du Fonds de Documentation du" - authored by Basile Ginger, is a catalog of all documents filed at the Cercle's Library in Paris - a practical guide (in French) to Jewish Genealogy in France and elsewhere - "Contrats de Mariage Juifs en Moselle avant 1792" - authored by Jean Fleury. A table of 2,021 Marriage Contracts deposited with the Royal Notaries; 80% in Metz and the remainder in other places, mostly between 1705-1792. A must for genealogical research before 1793. "Departement du Bas-Rhin", 4 volumes, ISBN 2-9510092-1-6, 2-4, 3-2, "Departement du Haut-Rhin", 2 volumes, ISBN 2-950092-6-7, 7-5 http://www.genealoj.org/english/publication.html "Departements de Moselle et Meurthe-et-Moselle" http://www.genealoj.org/english/publication.html "Dictionary of Genealogy and Biography" - authored by Claude Geudevertt, the book contains about 10,000 individuals from the 18th century until WW II. The names are of Jews from Western and Eastern Europe, North Africa, Greece, Turkey and American and Australia. "Etat Civil des Juifs de Nimes et de Pont-Saint-Espirit" - lists all civil records of these two towns except living individuals, a work by the specialist of the history of the Jews in Nimes. "French Children of the Holocaust, Death Books from Auschwitz", 1995 "Index du Denombrement des Juifs d'Alsace de 1784" - a reprint of Dan Leeson's index, includes the index by name and given names. http://www.genealoj.org/english/publication.html "Index de Memoire Juive en Alsace, Contrats de Mariage au XVIIIe siecle" - 2 volume set of a searchable marriage database created by Dan and Rosanne Leeson. It includes listings of contracts of marriages in the 18th century. According to a French law of 1701, these 'contracts de mariage' had to be registered by an official notary. These contracts are as a matter of fact not "k'tuvot" but "t'na'im acharonim" (literally "later {or last} conditions"). Some of these 'contracts de marriage' (contracts of marriage) have actually the title 't'na'im acharonim' others are referred to as t'na'im, be'scha'at ha'chupa [e.g. conditions {agreed on} at the time of the wedding). From a posting by Daniel Teichman Daniel.Teichman@vsao.ch "Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II" - history, names and burial places of the Jewish soldiers in the Polish armies, including those who fought in France, Norway, North Africa and Switzerland. Authored by Benjamin Mertchak - a 5 volume set. For more information check out http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/4017/meirtchak/meirtchak.htm "Journey to Alsace" has been updated and printed in the GenAmi Newsletter. "Le Cimetiere Israelite Regional de Luneville (1759 - 1998)" - authored by Françoise and Sylvain Job. An inventory of some 1,000 tombstones of Jews from Luneville and surrounds. "Le Denombrement des Juifs d'Alsace de 1784" - a reprint of the comprehensive census of Jews in Alsace. "La Deportation des Juifs de la Marne" - authored by Jocelyne Husson "Les Fils et Filles de Deportes Juifs de France" President: Maitre Serge Klarsfeld. Contact M. Helbronner for more details at jlhelbro@noos.fr "Le Juifs d'Afrique du Nord: Demographie et Onomastique" - authored by Maurice Eisenbeth "Le Livre d'Or du Judaisme Algerien" - first edition 1919. http://www.genealoj.org/english/publication.html "Marriages Religieux Juifs a Paris, 1848 - 1872" - a table of 2,304 marriages from the records of the Paris Consistoire, cross-referenced with those of the 1872 census - authored by Anne Lifshitz-Krams "Memorial de la Deportation des Juifs de France", ("Memorial to the Jews Deported from France 1942-44") - This large sized book lists more than 80,000 names of Jews deported to Eastern Europe (mostly to Auschwitz) or killed in France. Each entry includes name, birth date and birth place. The main transit camp at Drancy alone came from 37 countries including: France - 22,193 Source: Table p. xxxvi The book has no index. A research aid is available (microfiche index) from The book may be obtainable via Interlibrary loan. The microfiche may be obtainable from Jewish Genealogical Society library collections. The Index is an alphabetic list of 40,000 surnames that appear in the book and shows surname and convoy number. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum offers a similar database on the Internet that includes maiden names of women. "Paris Cemeteries - Jewish Sections" - authored by Gilles Plaut. Cimetiere de Montmartre (Division 3); Cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise (Division Israelite). Names and data are copied from the gravestones are indexed alphabetically. "Proceedings of the International Seminar on Jewish Genealogy - 1997" - includes many useful and practical information for genealogists researching in and about France. "Recueil des Declarations de Prise de Nom Patronymiques des Juif" - authored by Pierre Katz. The Jews living in France in 1808, were forced to adopt permanent family and given names. Each person's name was registered in the town hall. http://www.genealoj.org/english/publication.html "Scenes of Jewish Life in Alsace" - authored by Daniel Stanben. Contains drawings, descriptions and stories of Jewish life in Alsace in the 1860s. "Stammbuch der Frankfurter Juden" - authored by Alexander Dietz and published in 1988 by Vanderher Publications in Cornwall, UK. ISBN 0-95141580-8 The Cercle de Genealogie Juive "Surrender on Demand" - authored by Varian Fray - an informative book about rescue efforts of Jews in southern France in 1940-41. Varian also authored "Assignment Rescue". "Tables du Registre d'etat Civil de la Communaute Juive de Metz (1717 to 1792)" - a reprint of the 1987 edition is the earliest civil vital records in Metz, following an order of the Metz bailiff. The author is Pierre-Andrè Meyer. http://www.genealoj.org/english/publication.html "The Emancipation of the Jews of Alsace" - authored by Paula Hyman and published by Yale University Press in 1991. ISBN 0-300-04986-2 General French
Photo of a castle in the Loire Valley Another valuable site to help find a person, maps, etc. is http://www.webhelp.com/home Global Gazetteer is a great web site. It is a directory of 2,880,532 of the world's cities and towns, sorted by country and linked to a map for each town. A tab separated list is available for each country. Search Sites that also may be of value include To find phone numbers - on-line directory of France Alliance Israelite Universelle - (located at 45 rue La Bruyere, Paris, 9e) offers Jewish genealogy courses. Archives Note: most sites are in French. Micheline Gutmann michelinegutmann@free.fr stated on 12/13/01 in the JewishGen forum that "Indeed, death records less than 100 years old are accessible without restriction." "I am afraid the information I saw there is not correct. The official limit to get death certificates is 50 years. Until recently, the death records were easily given, without condition in practice, but not following the law." "Something which is also new since a few months ago; it is necessary to always give the reason of your request even if you are a descendant. We give the following advice: don't speak of genealogy. For Paris, you many now ask for records on-line at: Service des Archives Departementales Telephone: 01 53 72 41 28 Alliance Israelite Universelle, 45 Rue La Bruyere, 75009, Paris, France. Phone 67 68 74 Further information may be available from Mrs. Laurence Abensur-Hazan Laurphil@wanadoo.fr Archives Departmentales, Nantes, France - http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htm Archives de France - in Paris; Reglementation, evaluation et controle de la collecte, description, conservation et communication des archives publiques autres que celles des ministeres des Affaires estrangeres et de la Defense. English version available. Archives de Paris - mainly vital records from Paris some more than 100 years old - 18 Boulevard Serurier, 75019 Paris. Phone 01 53 72 41 23 Archives Nationales (aka CARAN) 11 rue des Quatre Fils, 75003 Paris (until July 2002: 58 rue de Richelieu 75002 Paris after) Phone: 01 40 27 60 00 - The Reading Room is 01 40 27 65 55 address for mail: 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 75041 Paris cedex 03. Archives Centrales de la France depuis les Merovingiens jusqu'en 1958, among them: Notarial Files for Paris; Options for French citizenship in 1871 of people born in Alsace-Lorraine, Naturalization files until 1930. Though the archives discourage personal research help, if you have sufficient details to offer them, they will consider researching on your behalf; if you are out of the country, enclose two International Reply Coupons (IRC) for the reply. Sites below are in French. http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/chan Archives Nationales - Centre des archives du monde du travail Archives Nationales - Centre national du microfilm (CNM)
Centre Historique (CHAN) - Archives Centrales de la France depuis les Merovingiens jusqu'en 1958 (archives des organismes et etablissements d'Ancien Regime supprimes a la Revolution, archives des administrations centrales de l'Etat, archives privees, minutes des notaires paris Centre des Archives d'Outre-mer, Aix en Provence http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htm IMMAJ (Institut Mediterranean Memoires and Archives of Jews. The site is in English, French, Italian and Spanish - He needs the name and any information, i.e. Birth date and place, Wife's name, etc. He further states that he has personally worked on the "Cimetiere Juif du Chateau" de Nice. Under French regulations, there are no problems to obtain burial certificates as the cemetery is public. Further information about obtaining assistance in Nice may be found in Ernest Kallmann' s article for the Cercle de Genealogie Jive. This is an excellent description of the regulation for obtaining French records, according to a posting in the 12/12/2001 JewishGen Digest by Jan Bousse. He further states that 'It also completes and partly corrects 'your' information. Indeed, death records less than 100 years old are accessible without restriction. As for birth and marriage certificates, the ones that are delivered only to direct descendants are the "copies integrales". Any person can request "des extraits d'actes de naissance ou de mariage". The difference with the "copies integrales" is that "les extraits ne comportent aucun renseignement sur les parents de l'enfant (acte de naissance) ou des epoux (actes de mariage)". In brief, my opinion is that even for records less than 100 years old, there is considerable scope in the information available. Death records are fully accessible, birth and marriage extracts can give you dates of the event, if not details about parents, which of course, is an important restriction. For further information on the subject of obtaining French records, the FrenchSIG has an excellent article on its site, written by Ernest Kallmann of the Cercle de Genealogie Juive E-mail office@genealoj.org "Vital Records for the Jews of Algeria" - authored by Roland Gozland. The author, together with Fernand Deray and Annick Forgens, have created a record project of all the existing microfilms of civil state of Algeria kept at the "Archives d' Outre-mer" (Overseas archives) at Aix-en-Provence according to a note in the Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society and Review, Issue 4, Vol. 2, Spring 1999 Bension Collection of Sephardic Manuscripts - records of French colonies an excellent summary descriptions of the manuscripts are at the AIU (Alliance Israelite Universelle, 45 Rue La Bruyere 75009, Paris, France Bibliotheque Genealogique - is located at 3 rue de Turbigo, Paris, 1e and offers a Jewish genealogy meeting twice a month on Tuesday afternoon. Business Directory - Les Pages Jaunes - French Yellow Pages - http://wge.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en CARAN - French National Archives - French Naturalization Records, registered before 1930, are kept in the National Archives. If you have an accurate date to have looked up, requests for information may be made from "une consultation de dossier par extrait" to CARAN 11 rue des 4 fils, 75003, Paris, France with an International Reply coupon enclosed for the reply. Cemeteries - an explanation about the repossession of graves by Paris authorities. Includes some photos of Bagneux cemetery. Montparnasse cemetery is available at The Jewish cemetery of l'Isle sur la Sorgue. Cercle de Genealogie Juive, (French JGS in Paris) aka CGJ Jewish Genealogy site CGQJ - General Office for Jewish Affairs was created to enforce anti-Semitic policies and to assist in deportation to death camps. The files include deportation lists, collaboration names and letters from collaborators denouncing Jews. These records are in 6,500 cartons and the CGQJ does not do any individual research. Contact Paul Rene Bazin, Archives Curator, Federation Francaise de Genealogie, 3, rue Turbigo, 75001, Paris Phone: 01 40 27 60 00
Chambon Foundation in and around Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France, 5,000 Jews, many of them children, were sheltered from the Nazis by 5,000 Christians, as recounted in Piere Sauvage documentary, "Weapons of the Spirit". http://www.chambon.org/chambon_foundation.htm The Prize for Humanity will be presented to Mayor Francis Valla of this mountain village in recognition of the courageous villagers of this mountain town and surrounding area in Southern France. The townspeople hid and saved some 5,000 mostly Jewish refugees from deportation and extermination during the period of 1940-1945. The villagers, mostly Huguenot Christians, were inspired by their pastor's appeal to use "weapons of the spirit" to fight the inhumanity of the Nazis. Chastel - in Medieval France, this word meant castle. CRIF - the umbrella group of secular French Jewish organizations - Roger Cukierman is the President Death Certificates: Requesting Form Messieurs, Veuillez avoir l'obligeance de me faire parvenir la photocopie de l'acte de deces de mon grand-pere (Name of grandparent in English here) qui est mort a l'Hopital Americian de Neuilly au mois de juin 1971. Avec mes remerciements anticipes, veuillez agreer, Messieurs, me salutations distinguees. The above format was offered by Micheline Guttmann 2-14-1998 on JewishGen. Declaration of Nationality - The 1889 French law for obtaining nationality states that one must have been living in France for 10 years (from the declaration of arrival in the local council of the town of residence). It was possible to shorten the delay by requesting first "admission a domicile" after one or two years of residence and then 3 years later asking for "naturalization". For further information about French Naturalization, and how to obtain files, see the paper written by S. Toublanc, in the Revue du Cercle de Genealogie Juive, nº57, Spring 1999, Pages 25 - 28. The "Denombrement General des Juifs Toleres en la Province d'Alsace en 1784" is an invaluable genealogical tool for the reconstruction of the Jewish families at the end of the 18th century. This information is located in the Revue du Cercle de Genealogies Juive #68 Drancy - a Paris suburb where a memorial to the tens of thousands of French Jews who were shipped to Auschwitz stands today in their memory. There were a number of convoys (around 50) that departed for Auschwitz in 1943 including Convoy No. 62 consisting of 1,199 Jews. ETSI - Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society - The purpose of "ETSI" is to help people interested in Jewish Genealogical and Historical Research in the Sephardi World. "ETSI's" field of study covers the Ottoman Empire (Turkey, Greece, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Egypt); North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia); Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar. The study of every Sephardi community or family who lived in other regions is equally within the society's aim. Europages - business 2 business company directory and business in Europe, yellow pages access, international and European business directory (professional services, addresses and business classifieds Fonds Social Juif Unifie French Alumni Organization - Les Enfants Caches, 17 rue Geoffroy - l'Asnier, 75004 Paris, France. Phone/Fax: (33) 1 42 78 60 30 French Deportee Information may be obtained from CDJC, Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaine in Paris. http://www.mortsdanslescamps.com/ French-English Dictionary - this might be of some use to you and it is freeware Additional
Dictionaries may be found at my link to Amazon.com by French Federation Francaise de Genealogie does not do any individual research. It is an organization which reunites several French genealogical societies together. French Genealogy Help Site - ' French Migration Information - this site encourages a worldwide exchange of genealogy information about French emigrants and immigrants from 1600 to 1950. Also Germany, Ireland, England, Italy and Spain links at French Military Archives - located in Vincennes (Service Historique de l'Armee). There is an article about the work performed to date by author Pierre Lautmann about the Jews in the armies of the French Revolution and the Empire including statistics between 1791 and 1815. 1350 individuals are listed in his database. This information is located in the Revue du Cercle de Genealogies Juive #68 E-mail office@genealoj.org French Underground or Resistance - this association may be able to offer some information: FrenchSIG - a discussion group - and there is a lot of information about Jewish genealogical research in France, French Colonies and French-speaking areas including Alsace, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. There are links, travel information and documents available at this site and it is in English. The FrenchSIG also covers other French-speaking areas, such as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Swiss-Romande! GenAmi (Association de Genealogie Juive Internationale) - the genealogical society, located in Paris. The primary purpose is to provide a forum for questions, exchange of information and discussion of matters involved in conducting Jewish genealogical research in France, other French-speaking areas i.e. Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and in former French colonies including Tunisia, Algeria, etc. Issue number 10, of the Associations publication, has a chapter about cemeteries and an explanation about the repossessing of graves by Paris authorities. Some photos of Bagneux Cemetery. Information about Montparnasse cemetery and the Jewish cemetery of I'Isle sur la Sorgue. In Issue 8, the older and most complete collection of Paris Phone Directories is the Didot-Bottin. It is an almanac of Commerce, existing since 1805. The collection can be reviewed at the Hotel de Ville at the Bibliotheque Administrative de la Ville de Paris. Some records are not available due to their being in a bad state and require restoration. After 1812, not only are there Paris addresses, but elsewhere in France, England, Germany and even the US. Since 1841, there were two volumes published; one for Paris and another for other towns. And since 1881, each ten years, a volume has been published for other countries. Forum of GenAmi - a forum for Jewish genealogy. For genealogical information in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and to exchange of information in several languages. Only available for members of the JGS GenAmi as there is no moderator, but laws to respect. GenAmi - publishes many interesting stories, including: GenAmi contact is Micheline Guttmann, 76 rue de Passy, 75016, Paris asso.genami@free.fr GerSIG - a list on the JewishGen system that deals exclusively with the Jews of German speaking countries Hegenheim -The Jewish cemetery of Hegenheim exists since 1673 and has 2850 tombs. "Der juedische Friedhof in Hegenheim/Le Cimetiere Israelite de Hegenheim (Haut- Rhin)" ("The Jewish Cemetery In Preserving Home Le Ciemtiere Israelite de Hegenheim" (Haut Rhin) - authors: Gil Huettenmeister and Lea Rog - with a colored folding plan and an inventory of all Hebrew gravestone inscriptions with German translation on CD Rome. Bound. Published by Schwabe Verlag Basel (Switzerland) in 2004 in French. 144 pages. Included in the book is a CD ROM with the translation from Hebrew to German of all the inscriptions and a "map, where all the graves are located". ISBN 3-7965-1899-0 From a posting by Ariane Mil Zurich, Switzerland Heraldry - Jewish Hidden Children ("Engants caches") - located in Paris. Irene Savignon is Secretary-General of the organization. Frederique Imer-Loup (you need to contact Susana Leistner Bloch bloch@mts.net who is project manager of JewishGen International Desk for his e-mail address) has discovered a trail of children hidden directly or indirectly though a private adoption charity called Adoption Francaise. However, none of these children were reunited with their biological family after the war. Since they were placed in the care of these families at a very young age between 1939 and 1944 (often younger than 4), they have no knowledge of their name at birth; this makes 'my' research very problematic. Frederique Imer-Loup has discussed this problem in his personal web site Jeweler's register of addresses in France from 1928 to 1940 Jewish Heritage - a web site in both French and English Jewish Tribune - an influential French Jewish bi-monthly - Editor-in-Chief is Olivier Guland Kehillat Gesher - an English, French and Hebrew speaking synagogue which prides itself on "bridging the gap" between cultures - French and Anglophone, Sephardi and Ashkenazi, modern and traditional. The synagogue is located in the Seventeenth District of Paris.
List of Jews deported from France in 1942-1944 (from the original French deportation lists) - a searchable database compiled by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Maps Art Source offers antique maps, prints and globes at Art Source International
Art International offers antique maps, prints and globes at Art Source International
Map of France Alsace-Lorraine-German Empire West 1882 - http://www.jewishgen.org/Shtetlinks/W_Europe.html Census of 1836 of the district of Wissembourg (Alsace) A CD is available 1836: by order of king Louis-Philippe Ist, town’s mayors carry out the first official registration list on their town, by applying ministerial orders. Therefore, residents are grouped into families, names, first names, age, religion, profession, civil status, addresses are noted for each resident. Jewish History - a description of the 1784 census of all Alsatian Jews and the 1808 family name-choosing list for all the Jews of France and a lot more of interest to anyone researching the Jews of Alsace at http://home.sprynet.com/~bernie06//famtree/fam-main.html Museum of Jewish Art & History - is located at 71 Rue du Temple, Paris 3e. Entrance fee is 40 francs including an audio guide. The museum traces the history of Jews in Western Europe (mostly France) from the middle ages onward. There is a meeting held every first Thursday in the month on Jewish genealogy. Musee d'Arts et Traditions Populaires de Marmoutier - 6 rue du General Leclerc; Naturalization Files - copies of records, for a charge, are available at the National Archives. Nice - You can request death certificates, and copies of birth and marriage certificates from: You can write in English, if your French isn't good enough. Orphanages Oeuvre Nationale de L'Enfance (O.N.E), please contact Mr. Dennis Hayman. A reunion is scheduled to take place in September 2004. For the complete story about the American Pilots and the Orphans of Le Chateau Dongelberg Saint-Mande - UGIF (Jewish orphanage at 5 rue Granville, Paris Orthodox Judaism - a site that is written in French and includes Addresses of mikva'ot'oths, Synagogues and Beit Hamidraches in France. Plagues and other documents concerning France and Algeria - In the Winter, 1999 issue of Revue du Cercle de Genealogie Juive, there are some research documents for those who had ancestors in France including: The Jews and the Plague in Metz in 1636 Information about these documents are available by contacting Anne Lifshitz - Krams at Cercle de Genealogie Juive, aka CGJ Jewish Genealogy site http://www.genealoj.org E-mail office@genealoj.org Postal Information - give this site a try for all kinds of postal information http://postinfo.net/links/ Rabbinical Personalities - the web site is in French and contains short biographies and some genealogical information Regulations for Obtaining French Records - death records less than 100 years old are accessible without restriction. As for Birth and Marriage Certificates, the ones that are delivered only to direct descendants are the "copies integrales." Any person can request "des extraits d'actes de naissance ou de mariage." The difference with the "copies integrales" is that "les extrits ne comportent aucun renseigement sur les parents de l'enfant (acte de naissance) ou des epoux (actes de mariage)". Even for records less than 100 years old, there is considerable scope in the information available. Death records are fully accessible, birth and marriage extracts can give you dates of the event, if not details about parents, which of course is an important restriction. For further information on the subject of obtaining French records the FrenchSIG has an excellent article on its site, written by Ernest Kallmann of the Cercle de Genealogie Juive Revue du Cercle de Genealogie Juive Issue # 73 of Revue du Cercle de Genealogie Juive. Here is a summary : Eliane ROOS-SCHUHL reveals her discovery of a Dutch mohelbuch, hidden in a book filed in the library of the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Paris. Nicolas ROTH urges the readers to fill, if not yet done, Yad Vashem Pages of Testimony and underscores the plus which genealogy adds to a personal testimony. E-mail office@genealoj.org Sephardic Sites - Telephone Books for France - Translation Service - a commercial site offering many language translating programs
Click here > for Translation information There is a French English Dictionary on-line at http://www.dictionaries.travlang.com/FrenchEnglish/ The Centre d'Entraide Genealogigue does not do individual research. French Cities and Towns
In 1689, there were 522 Jewish families in the region. By 1716, their numbers had doubled and by 1740, there were 2,215. The Jews could not own property and were excluded from guilds. Jews became grain brokers, cattle and horse dealers, peddlers and money lenders. During the French Revolution, about 22,500 Jewish villagers, more than half the Jewish population of France, were scattered throughout Alsace. A great article about the Alsatian Jews can be found in the May, 2003 Hadassah Magazine. Personalities from Alsace - Leon Blum, the first Jewish French prime minister. Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Andre Maurois, writer. The Marx brothers. Mime Marcel Marceau. Cerf-Berr, ancestor of publisher Bennet Cerf, was the brother-in-law of Rabbi David Sintzheim, who was appointed president of the Sanhedrin by Napoleon in 1807 There are Regional Special Interest Groups that have Alsace information and links. The site includes links to Bohemia-Moravia SIG, "Scenes of Jewish Life in Alsace" - authored by Daniel Stauben (pen name for Augste Eidal). Published by Joseph Simon/Pangloss Press. The book captures Jewish country life. Tourists can see more than 200 Jewish sites by contacting the Agence de Development Touristique du Bas-Rhin (ADT) in Strasbourg. I only found the French version, unfortunately. The GenAmi French Genealogy Society has quite a number of documents ever printed for Alsace and a lot for Lorraine; all the documents about Jews of Vaucluse (Provence) and also Paris and they offer to answer questions. For research in France, especially in Paris for 20th century, members may be helped by professional genealogists if they wish, whose work they can guide and follow. Contact: Micheline Guttmann, GenAmi Jews had to be authorized to live in France and had to pay special taxes. So there are official papers in the Archives concerning them. For instance, the Ghetto of Cavaillon was opened in 1453, the one in Carpentras in 1461. In 1600, 450 Jews were living in Carpentras. In Bordeaux, the oldest naturalization papers (lettres de naturalite) are dated 1550 (see G. Nahon). Another source are cemeteries. Other sources include Notarial archives (Notarial acts concerning the Jews of Orange from the 14th century exist in Rome). In Portugal, a source is the Inquisition proceedings. Concerning the fact that Jews could not write or read: very few Jewish registers have been preserved, but the reason is not that they were illiterate. Most of the male Jews could read in Hebrew; they had to do so for their Bar Mitzvah. Communities were organized and each had a rabbi, a court, a treasurer. All these people, at least, could read and write. The 10th to 16th centuries are for the Jews, the great period of intellectual movements from Rashi to Isaac Louria, a lot of texts influencing not only the Jews have been written. A lot of books have been published concerning the organizations of the communities as well as concerning the intellectual movements. Some titles are in English (there are a lot of others, if you can read French): A. Agus "The heroic Age of Franco German Jewry", published in New York by Yeshiva University Press in 1969; R. Chazan "Medieval Jewry in Northern France: A Political and Social History" published in Baltimore by The John Hopkins University Press in 1973; J. Edwards, "The Jews in Christian Europe", 1400-1700 published in London, N.Y. by Routledge in 1988. This information obtained from a posting to JewishGen Digest on 1/16/2001 by Anne Lifshitz-Krams GenAmi has a publication "Zellwiller, la petite communaute dans la prairie* (the little community in the fields) which names many of the families who once lived in Zellwiller. Some came from other places of Alsace, Lorraine, Baden, etc. Contact GenAmi should you be doing research in Alsace. The publication is 170 pages and last quoted price was 20 Euros (about $20) + shipping. E-mail: asso.genami@free.fr Bayeux - Belfort - a story of the Jews of Belfort by Laurence Tourot, Professor of History at Belfort and Jewish Genealogy in Belfort, Some Families Studied by Micheline Guttmann - is available in GenAmi, number 19 Bischheim - three miles from Strasbourg. Musee du Bain Rituel Juif - Cour des Boecklin, 17 rue Nationale; Telephone: 333-88-81-49-47. There is a sixteenth century restored mikve with 48 spiraling steps leading down to the ritual bath.
Bondoufle Bouxwiller - located 28 miles from Strasburg. There is the Musee Judeo-Alsacien 62a grand-rue; Telephone 333-88-70-97-17; Open mid-March to mid-September, Tuesday to Friday 10-12 and 2 to 5, Sundays 2 to 6; closed on Jewish holidays. In winter, open for groups by appointment. This small town has a synagogue Bushwiller - Contact Terry Zakine-Cerf. There are Regional Special Interest Groups that have Alsace information and links. The site includes links to Bohemia-Moravia SIG, Denmark SIG, German-Jewish SIG, Hungary SIG and Stammbaum - German SIG at Caen -
Carpentras - located south and near Nimes. (Papal-controlled France) Jewish community. Gentiles resented the Jews who displayed their wealth, mostly because of their dress. On March 22, 1740, in the town of Carpentras, an ordinance was passed dictating what Jews could wear. Jewish men were forbidden to wear wigs with few exceptions. Jews, traveling great distances, were permitted to dress in a special wig making it less possibility for them being singled out for harassment. "The Carpentras Affair" - authored by Jane Krame and published in The New Yorker, November 6, 2000 (Page 58-75). This is an interesting article about "the oldest Jewish cemetery in use in Europe.", French Anti-Semitism, French politics, "the Pope's Jews", North African Jews, etc. The story concerns a horrible desecration in the cemetery in 1990 and follows what happened to the cemetery, the town, France, Jews, etc. afterwards. From a posting by Alex Skolnick on JewishGen 3-23-2002 Cernay - genealogical research between 1550 and 1730 is discussed in an article in the "Abstract of GenAmi number 22" mentioned in a posting to JewishGen on 12/12/2002 Colmar - in Alsace and the provinces wine capital and second largest city. It has the Musee Bartholdi featuring the sculptures of Auguste Bartholdi, creator of the Statue of Liberty. The Katz Room contains Jewish ritual objects. The synagogue at 1 rue de la Cigogne conducts a daily service. The Jewish community can be contacted at 333 - 89- 41 - 38 - 29 Creteil - a southeastern Paris suburb with a Jewish school Cronenbourg - there is a Jewish cemetery which was recently desecrated. Dornach - Contact Terry Zakine-Cerf. There are Regional Special Interest Groups that have Alsace information and links. The site includes links to Bohemia-Moravia SIG, Denmark SIG, German-Jewish SIG, Hungary SIG and Stammbaum - German SIG at Drancy - Jews were assembled here for deportation by convoy Goersdorf - there was a Jewish presence here including a synagogue. A website at Goussainville - a synagogue is located here. Hasttatt, Upper-Rhine - a list of circumcisions of the Lazare Hess translated from Hebrew is available in GenAmi number 19 Herrlishelm - there was a Jewish presence here and there is a Jewish cemetery. Some tombstones were spray-painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans in 2004. Ingwiller - located in Alsace Lens -
Lyon Region - "Presence Juive dans la Cite" a booklet on the history of the Jewish Communities in this area is described in Revue du Cercle de Genealogie Juive #68 E-mail office@genealoj.org There is a synagogue in the Jewish neighborhood of La Duchere. In April, 2002, a car was driven through the large wooden doors by 15 hooded men. The President of this Jewish community is Maurice Obadia. Marmoutier - Marseille - a Jewish genealogy meeting is held every month at the Centre Edmond Fleg (Daniele Fareau). There are four SIGs now available in Marseille: Northern Africa, Ottoman Empire, Spain and Comtat Venaissin. Contact cgjgenefr@aol.com for further information. An arson fire in April, 2002, completely destroyed the 4,800 square foot Or Aviv synagogue. Metz - located in Lorraine. Jews lived here from the sixteenth century or in the Comtat Venaissin, and records are known to exist. Montparnasse cemetery - information is available at The Jewish cemetery of lisle sur la Sorgue. Montpellier - there is a building that contained a synagogue. It is located just outside of Paris. Moselle - "Jewish Cemeteries in Moselle" - 700 pages showing in detail the 50 Jewish Cemeteries of the Moselle departement. 14,500 names are indexed, making research easy. This information is located in the Revue du Cercle de Genealogies Juive #68 E-mail office@genealoj.org Mulhouse - located in Alsace and founded in 803 AD. Nice - a Jewish genealogy meeting is held every first Thursday from 3 to 5 pm in FSJU, 6 rue d'Angleterre. Death Certificates (even request copies of birth and marriage documents if they occurred in Nice) can be obtained by writing to: Mairie de Nice Jewish Resistance - there is a memorial in Nice, honoring Raymond Fresco, who was captured by the Nazis in November, 1943, tortured for 15 days and executed when he refused to reveal any information. Moissac - located in southwest France saved some 150 Jews by hiding them in a children's home run by France's Jewish Scout movement. Between 1939 and 1943, more than 500 Jewish children passed through the home. Nimes List - a list of people's names available for free to members of GenAmi. This list concerns people who were born or married in Nimes and the Provence before the year 1900. Information available from Obernai - only 20 minutes south of Strasbourg, there is a street known as the rue des Juifs, a street that contains wood-framed houses with doorposts lined with timber. They were once filled with mezuzot. The synagogue is on rue de Selestat. Before WW II, there were over 100 Jews here; about 40 died in the holocaust. There are 26 living here now, the rest moved or assimilated.
Paris The 19th district is the heart of the Sephardic community. Paris & French Telephone Directories - a collection, dating from 1805, exists at the Hotel de Ville, at the Bibliotheque administrative de la ville de Paris. From 1813, the collection's directories expand out into France, Germany and the US. From 1841, there were two volumes, one for Paris and one for the other towns. Since 1881, each ten years, a volume for other countries is published. Check out Nazareth Synagogue - Vice President is Jack-Yves Bohbot, a city councilor Poitiers - Reims - Rixheim, located in Alsace web page at: http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/rixheim/rixheim.html There are Regional Special Interest Groups that have Alsace information and links. The site includes links to Bohemia-Moravia SIG, Denmark SIG, German-Jewish SIG, Hungary SIG and Stammbaum - German SIG at http://www.jewishgen.org/Shtetlinks/W_Europe.html Rosenwiller - there is an old Jewish cemetery Rosheim - the 1784 census of the Jews of Rosheim - authored by Jean-Pierre Kleitz and published in the Revue du Cercle de Genealogie Juive #68 Savigny (Savoy) - Spanish and Jewish prisoners of the camp from 1940 - 1942 is discussed from the review "Echos Saleviens" in the "Abstract of GenAmi number 22" Schirrhoffen, Bas-Rhin - there is a discussion group devoted exclusively to this town Schirrhoffen Today; The mayors of Schirrhoffen; Schirrhoffen cemetery status, photo of the synagogue and more at St Quay Portrieux - Soultz - about 30 minutes from Colmar. Musee du Bucheneck, rue du Kageneck is a fine arts and local crafts museum housed in an eleventh-century fortress that was the seat of the Episcopal bailiff from 1289 until the Revolution. The Moise Ginsburger Room displays Torah scrolls, Torah mantles, a circumcision seat and ritual objects. Strasbourg - this eastern French city is home to one of France's largest and oldest communities of Ashkenazi Jews - about 70% of the Jewish population. Jews were first reported in 1170 by Benjamin of Tudela, who mentions that there was a flourishing community. A cemetery was established at the beginning of the thirteenth century; the oldest remaining epitaph is from 1213. The synagogue is not mentioned until 1292, according to an article in Hadassah Magazine authored by writer Ben G. Frank in May, 2003. Often called "the Jerusalem of France", most of the chief rabbis of France came from this Jewish community of 12,000, plus 3,000 in surrounding towns. Gate of the Jews - a plaque at the back corner of the Municipal Theater on rue de la Mesange, mentions that the Jews had to pay to enter the city during the day and sign out at night. Musee Alsacien - located at 21 quai Saint-Nicolas; Telephone: 333-88-52-50-01, a folk culture museum of popular regional art. Two rooms are devoted to Alsatian Jewish worship. Open daily from 10 to 6 except Tuesdays and certain holidays. Orthodox synagogue - located at 9 rue de Milieu in Wolfisheim - a suburb. Passerelle des Juifs (Footbridge of the Jews) Rue des Juifs (rue du Parchemin - at 20 rue des Charpentiers (corner of 19 rue des Juifs) is a thirteenth century mikve. Strasbourg-Cronenbourg cemetery is another Jewish cemetery. The area around the Place de la Republique once held a Jewish cemetery. Synagogue de la Paix and Community Center - located at 1a rue du Grand-Rabbin-Rene Hirschler at Avenue de la Pix; Telephone 333-88-14-46-50; Web site Toulouse - between 20,000 and 25,000 Jews live in the city and surrounding area. Wasselonne - there is a matzo factory at Neymann House, 46 rue du 23 Novembre. Westhoffen - located in Alsace, has a Wingersheim - located in Alsace, has a Zimmersheim - Contact Terry Zakine-Cerf - There are Regional Special Interest Groups that have Alsace information and links. The site includes links to Bohemia-Moravia SIG, Denmark SIG, German-Jewish SIG, Hungary SIG and Stammbaum - German SIG at Please let me know if there is a favorite link of yours that is not included in my site and I will be happy to add it to Jewish Web Index
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