Les Juifs de Lyon

Lyon had a Jewish presence as early as Roman antiquity and then, after long medieval interruptions, saw a community revive in the modern era and especially in the nineteenth century, with the arrival of Alsatian immigrants and then those from Eastern Europe. Its members were active in commerce, silk, industry, and the liberal professions, and the city acquired a grand synagogue and consistorial institutions. During the Second World War, Lyon was both a major center of the Resistance, including Jewish resistance, and the seat of the Gestapo directed by Klaus Barbie, responsible for persecutions and deportations. After the war, the community reconstituted itself and grew considerably with the arrival of Jews from North Africa.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗