During the 1808 census, only the presence of 34 Jews was counted in the department.

In 1816, Simon and Michel Lipman, merchants, asked for the possibility of obtaining a Jewish cemetery in Brest. Simon’s house was used as an oratory for the community of Brest.

50 years later, there are 59 Jews in Brest. At that time, a letter from the sub-prefecture mentioned the existence of an “Israelite temple” and the presence of an officiating minister. It is the first recognized Jewish community in Brittany, but its development has been rather modest.

A Jewish religious association in Brest (ACIB) was founded by Emile Levy and André Hassoun in 1962, upon their arrival from Tunisia. It brings together Ashkenazi Jewish families, some of whom have been present since the beginning of the 20th century, and Sephardic families, most of whom came from Tunisia and Algeria. The official inauguration of the ‘Beth Hafsé Aaretz’ took place on 15 February 1987, in the presence of the Mayor of Brest, Georges Kerbrat, and Chief Rabbi René Samuel Sirat.

On 29 December 2024, the Jewish community of Brest celebrated the Festival of Lights in the presence of the Chief Rabbi of France, Haïm Korsia, and representatives of Brest’s Jewish, Catholic and Muslim communities.