The Jewish community in Lille took shape during the revolutionary period.
Indeed, the context was favorable following the decision of the Constituent Assembly (end of September 1791) which emancipated Jews and made them equal citizens with the other inhabitants of the kingdom. Jews from Alsace and Lorraine were authorized to settle anywhere in the country.
Throughout the 19th century, until the war with Prussia in 1870-1871, the Jewish population of Lille continued to grow. Various censuses counted between 150 and 250 people on the eve of the war. The Lille community accounted for more than half of all Jews in the Northern region.
At the end of the 19th century, Lille's Jewish community faced up to the events that affected the whole of France: the Dreyfus affair and the inventories of places of worship following the law on the separation of Church and State.
Like all Jewish communities, Lille's was disrupted by the Second World War, marked by arrests, deportation and despoilment.
In the aftermath of the war, the community was devastated by the disappearance of many members of entire families, as evidenced by the commemorative plaques on the Synagogue's walls.
Added to this are the names of those shot for acts of Resistance. The community rebuilt as quickly as it could, with the return of a few deportees and that of families who had taken refuge in the south of France, but not always spared by deportation.
Under the impetus of M. Guy Bensoussan, the Association Culturelle Israelite de Lille (ACIL) was created in December 2022.
The association has a wide range of activities:
- The organization of conferences featuring prestigious speakers before a very large audience,
- The publication of a regional community newspaper called “l'Alliance”, featuring editorials by local and national personalities, providing information on all activities organized by the association.
- Publication of a book entitled “L'invisible de la rue Vaucouleurs: Sarah Halimi, femme juive assassinée”.Under the direction of Guy Bensoussan, the Chief Rabbi of France Haïm Korsia and Michel Gad Wolkowicz, 250 personalities took part, including Pope Francis.
- A digital educational program for young people aged 10 to 16 is currently being developed. This will give them access to official courses and activities adapted to their levels, providing them with an enriching education in Jewish tradition throughout the country, from their homes to the synagogue.
ACIL's mission is to maintain the continuity of Jewish culture, perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust, and combat anti-Semitism and all forms of exclusion. It takes part in all commemorative events in the Heights de France region.
ACIL aims to be open to the world and the city.
Indeed, the context was favorable following the decision of the Constituent Assembly (end of September 1791) which emancipated Jews and made them equal citizens with the other inhabitants of the kingdom. Jews from Alsace and Lorraine were authorized to settle anywhere in the country.
Throughout the 19th century, until the war with Prussia in 1870-1871, the Jewish population of Lille continued to grow. Various censuses counted between 150 and 250 people on the eve of the war. The Lille community accounted for more than half of all Jews in the Northern region.
At the end of the 19th century, Lille's Jewish community faced up to the events that affected the whole of France: the Dreyfus affair and the inventories of places of worship following the law on the separation of Church and State.
Like all Jewish communities, Lille's was disrupted by the Second World War, marked by arrests, deportation and despoilment.
In the aftermath of the war, the community was devastated by the disappearance of many members of entire families, as evidenced by the commemorative plaques on the Synagogue's walls.
Added to this are the names of those shot for acts of Resistance. The community rebuilt as quickly as it could, with the return of a few deportees and that of families who had taken refuge in the south of France, but not always spared by deportation.
Under the impetus of M. Guy Bensoussan, the Association Culturelle Israelite de Lille (ACIL) was created in December 2022.
The association has a wide range of activities:
- The organization of conferences featuring prestigious speakers before a very large audience,
- The publication of a regional community newspaper called “l'Alliance”, featuring editorials by local and national personalities, providing information on all activities organized by the association.
- Publication of a book entitled “L'invisible de la rue Vaucouleurs: Sarah Halimi, femme juive assassinée”.Under the direction of Guy Bensoussan, the Chief Rabbi of France Haïm Korsia and Michel Gad Wolkowicz, 250 personalities took part, including Pope Francis.
- A digital educational program for young people aged 10 to 16 is currently being developed. This will give them access to official courses and activities adapted to their levels, providing them with an enriching education in Jewish tradition throughout the country, from their homes to the synagogue.
ACIL's mission is to maintain the continuity of Jewish culture, perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust, and combat anti-Semitism and all forms of exclusion. It takes part in all commemorative events in the Heights de France region.
ACIL aims to be open to the world and the city.
