Caen Synagogue

The Caen Synagogue (French: Synagogue de Caen), officially Synagogue of the Hebrew Cultural Association, is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 46 Avenue de la Libération, in Caen, Calvados, in the Normandy region of France. The president of the Israelite Cultural Association of Caen (ACI), who own the building, is Nassim Levy.^[1]

Before the construction of the synagogue, Jews in Caen held services in different locations around the city, notably in community buildings or the musée Langlois.^[2][3] With the arrival of North African Jews in France following the Indépendance of Algeria, the local Jewish community, largely composed of Ashkenazi Jews, recognized the need for the construction of a dedicated place of worship.^[2]

The site chosen for the new synagogue was formerly a garage owned by a Jewish man deported during the Second World War.^[3] Seventy-five percent of the construction costs were covered by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee,^[4] at the time^[when?] approximately FR20 million.^[2] The architect was Guy Morizet. The first stone was laid on April 30, 1964 and construction lasted a month. The synagogue was consecrated on May 23, 1966 in the presence of Jacob Kaplan, Chief Rabbi of France.

In January 2006, anti-semitic leaflets were found near the entrance of the synagogue, making references to The Holocaust.^[5]

As of 2020^[update], the community had about 150 families. Major renovations of the synagogue began in September 2020.^[6]

1. ^ Sevaux, Anne-Louise. "Déconfinement à Caen. La synagogue ne rouvrira qu'en septembre". caen.maville.com (in French). Retrieved February 22, 2021.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Marie, Juliette (May 2015). "La tardive construction de la synagogue". Ouest-France, édition de Caen (in French).
3. ^ ^{a b} "La synagogue de Caen célèbre son 50 ème anniversaire". France 3 Normandie (in French). Retrieved February 22, 2021.
4. ^ "PSS / Synagogue de Caen (Caen, France)". www.pss-archi.eu (in French). Retrieved September 23, 2020.
5. ^ "Des tracts antisémites devant une synagogue de Caen". Libération.fr (in French). February 1, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
6. ^ Lecornu-Baert, Nathalie (September 17, 2020). "La synagogue fait peau neuve pour Roch Hachanah". Ouest-France (in French).

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