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List of French Jews

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Jews have lived in France since Roman times, with a complex history. In the Middle Ages, French kings expelled most of the original Askhenazi Jewish population to Germany. Since the French Revolution (and Emancipation), Jews have been able to contribute to all aspects of French culture and society. Moveover, the Cremieux decree gave in 1870 the full French citizenship to Jews living in Maghreb under French colonization. During World War II, a significant number of Jews living in Metropolitan France perished in the Holocaust, deported to Nazi death camps by the French Vichy government. After 1945, France served as a haven for Askhenazi refugees, then after the independence of Morocco, Tunisia and the end of Algerian War, an influx of immigration of Sephardi Jews saw the Jewish population triple to around 600,000, making it the largest Jewish community in Western Europe. Behind the United States and Israel, France ranks 3rd by Jewish population. In 2008, the Jewish Agency evaluated the Jewish population in France to be 488,000[1], not mentioning French citizens with only one Jewish parent or grandparent.

The following is a list of some prominent Jews and people of Jewish origins[2], among others, (not all of them practice, or practiced, the Jewish religion) who were born in, or are very strongly associated with, France.

Historical figures

Activists

Criminals

Clergymen

Military

Philanthropists

Politicians

Rabbis

  • Gilles Bernheim, chief rabbi of France elected in June 2008
  • David Feuerwerker (1912–1980) author of the classic work L'Emancipation des Juifs en France. De l'Ancien Régime à la fin du Second Empire. Albin Michel: Paris, 1976 ISBN 2-226-00316-9
  • Zadoc Kahn (1839–1905), chief rabbi of France and translator of the Bible in French
  • Jacob Kaplan
  • Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (1040–1105) famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud
  • Joseph Sitruk, (1944 –), chief rabbi of France from 1987 to 2008
  • Yechiel of Paris, (end of 12th century - 1286), famous Tosafist

Journalists

Academic figures

Scientists

Social scientists

Cultural figures

Artists

Film and stage

Musicians

Writers and poets

Business figures

Sport figures

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ The Jewish Agency Assessment 2008
  2. ^ As a particular counter-example, current French President Nicolas Sarkozy had a Jewish grandfather, is officially Catholic and is not part of this list.
  3. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "he was of Portuguese Jewish descent"
  4. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica 11th ed: "He was born in Berlin of Jewish parents. He studied at Bonn and Giessen, but settled in Paris, becoming naturalized there"
  5. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, 2nd ed., art. "Aftalion, Albert"
  6. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "the only child of prosperous Jewish parents"
  7. ^ "Motion Pictures". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Keter Publishing House. 1971–1972. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: date format (link)
  8. ^ http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Anconina
  9. ^ "Jean-Pierre Aumont ... returned to fight for his country despite the danger to him as a Jew". Jewish Chronicle. 2001-02-16. p. 31. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed., art. "Blowitz, Henri
  11. ^ "A Bag of Marbles" - Joseph Joffo
  12. ^ (Jewish Year Book 2005 p215)
  13. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: "His grandfather Jacob had established the family as one of the first Jewish families to acquire great wealth and social acceptability in Bavaria ... His mother came from an Orthodox Frankfurt family and ensured that the children were properly instructed in Jewish matters ... he moved to Paris ... He was a well-known and ubiquitous member of the smart set in Paris"
  14. ^ Encyclopaedia Judaica, art. "Lazard"
  15. ^ Encyclopaedia Judaica, art. "Pereire, Emile and Isaac"
  16. ^ Encyclopaedia Judaica, art. "Chess"
  17. ^ Jewish Chronicle, November 30, 1962 p.1
  18. ^ Encyclopaedia Judaica, art. "Wildenstein"
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