The Jewish presence in Chinon seems to date from the 12th century. Administrative documents attest to this from the following century.

Most of the Jews lived in the rue de la Juiverie, near the Palais de Justice in Chinon. There was then a synagogue, a mikvah and a renowned study center.

On August 27, 1321, following a false accusation (frequent at the time) of poisoning wells, the 160 Jews of Chinon were burned alive in a place on the outskirts of the city, on the Island of Tours, where they were currently finds the faubourg Saint-Jacques .

Among the illustrious Jews of Chinon, we can cite the Tossafists Jacob and Nethanel of Chinon and the great rabbinical figure Isaac ben Isaac.

In response to the rise in anti-Semitic acts in France, a Garden of the Righteous was inaugurated in Chinon on 26 January 2024. It is located in the Vieux Marché, opposite the family home of Jacques Caen, part of whose family was deported and murdered in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. The 97-year-old survivor recalled the courage of the Righteous during the Holocaust and the need to imbibe that courage today. Schoolchildren from Chinon took part in the commemoration with songs and poetry readings.