At the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine, Rennes was an important city in the Middle Ages. Today known for its large student population and as a very prosperous city appreciated by tourists for its many monuments, such as its magnificent theater.

During the 1808 census, only the presence of 11 Jews was counted in the department. The resettlement of the Jews from Rennes took place in the middle of the 19th century. In 1851, there were thus 8 Jews in the city, including 7 soldiers in garrisons based in the city and 1 Jew from Germany living in Rennes.

In 1872, the figure increased slightly to 28. Among them, 8 soldiers, including the parents of Jules Isaac. His father even became a lieutenant colonel in the artillery and an officer of the Legion of Honor. The French historian and pioneer of Judeo-Christian friendships was born in Rennes.

University city, Rennes counts its prestigious teachers Victor Basch and Henri Sée. During the Dreyfus trial, and faced with a resurgence of anti-Semitism in the city, a small group founded the Rennes section of the Human Rights League in Victor Basch’s own home.

In 1940, there were 124 Jews in Rennes and 372 for the entire department. The Jews of Rennes organize themselves as a community formed in the 1960s, rebuilt with survivors of the war and the arrival of Jews from North Africa.

The Edmond J. Safra Center , inaugurated in 2002, currently serves as a worship and cultural center for the Jewish community of Rennes.

At a time when anti-Semitic acts are on the rise, Ginette Kolinka, who was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau at the age of 19 and is one of the last survivors of the Holocaust in France, is continuing her tireless meetings with young people. Her aim is to bear witness and pass on the memory. This is what she did on 22 January 2024 at the Assomption secondary school in Rennes.

Sources : Ouest-France