Culte et communauté israélite
Item
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Country
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FR
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Name of institution (English)
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Gironde Departmental Archives
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Language of name of institution
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fra
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Contact information: postal address
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72 cours Balguerie-Stuttenberg, 33300 Bordeaux
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Contact information: phone number
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0033 (0)556996600
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Reference number
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I 8 to 18
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Type of reference number
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Archival reference number
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Title (English)
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Jewish religion and community
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Title (official language of the state)
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Culte et communauté israélite
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Language of title
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fra
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Creator / accumulator
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Jewish communities of Bordeaux
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Date(s)
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1710/1818
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Language(s)
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fra
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Extent
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10 storage units
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Type of material
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Textual Material
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Scope and content
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The Culte et communauté israélite fonds comprises documentation produced by the Jewish communities of Bordeaux. It contains eight archival units, whose first five relate to the organisation of the Jewish communities (1710-1810), including the:
I 9: "Délibérations de la nation juive portugaise" (Deliberations of the Portuguese Jewish nation), concerning the period between May 11, 1710, to March 22, 1787.
I 11: "Mémoire pour la nation juive portugaise présenté à M. de Malesherbes, ministre d'État, par les srs Lopes-Dubec père et Furtado" (Memorial for the Portuguese Jewish nation presented to M. de Malesherbes (1721-94), Minister of State, by Lopes-Dubec senior and Furtado), from 1788.
The other archival units relate to religious practice and liturgy (I 13 - 1752-1809), including a fragment of a Bible in Hebrew and some other Hebrew documents; information about Jews from Alsace and Holland (I 14 - 1800-06); and the "Papiers d'Abraham Furtado" (Abraham Furtado papers). Abraham Furtado was a Portuguese Jew who became president of the Consistory of Bordeaux and municipal councilor (I 15 to 17 - 1788-1816). The collection also includes an archival unit related to particular cases (I 18 - 1774-1818).
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Archival history
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These records were originally preserved by religious leaders and were later transferred to state and municipal archives.
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The origins of the Portuguese "nação" (nation, community) of Bordeaux date back to shortly after the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian kingdoms in the late 15th century. Bordeaux was then an important commercial centre and most of the Iberian New Christians (Jews converted to Christianity and their descendants) who settled in the city, mainly in the parishes of St. Eulalie and St. Eloy, were merchants. The growing importance of this community justified the decision of King Henri II (1519-59) to issue letters patent authorising them to take residence in any French town.
Judaism was not allowed in France, but the control was not strict enough to completely avoid the secret practice of Jewish rituals by New Christians who lived outwardly as Catholics. After 1710, the conditions changed, and New Christians began to profess Judaism more openly. A sign of this is the annotation found in some parish records that certain marriages of New Christians were performed in accordance with the rites of the Portuguese nation. However, the public profession of the Jewish religion was still forbidden.
On December 14, 1769, King Louis XV (1710-74) approved the status of the "Nation portugaise" of Bordeaux. In April 1789, on the eve of the French Revolution, the community appointed two representatives, Salomon Lopes Dubec (1743-?) and Abraham Furtado (1756-1817), to attend the Malesherbes committee, which evaluated possible reforms to be applied to the status of the Jews in France. Finally, on January 28, 1790, the Estates-General issued a decree granting citizenship to the Portuguese, Spanish, and Avignonese Jews. German Jews only received the same rights in September 1791.
A census of 1806 records 2,131 Jews living in Bordeaux, of whom 1,651 were of Spanish or Portuguese origin; 144 Avignonese; and 336 of German, Polish, or Dutch origin. On May 14, 1812, a large synagogue opened in Rue Causserouge, which was partly destroyed by fire in 1873. In the mid-19th century, Jewish institutions in Bordeaux included a school for boys and girls, a trade school, and a Talmud Torah. In the second half of the 19th century, many Jews sat on the general council of the department on the municipal council, and in the chamber of commerce. Adrien Léon was elected to the National Assembly in 1875.
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(source: Jewish Virtual Library)
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System of arrangement
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The fonds is organised by themes. Sometimes, subcollections refer to types of documents. Series are arranged chronologically.
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Author of the description
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Kevin Soares, 2023
