Epernay is known as the home of several of the great Champagne houses and the many cellars that house this highly prized beverage.
The Jewish presence in Epernay appears to date back to the Middle Ages, as evidenced by street names such as rue Juiverie, rue Haute Juiverie and rue Basse Juiverie. A rue de la Juiverie remains today.
Epernay’s neo-Byzantine synagogue was inaugurated in 1890 by architect Henry Clouet, replacing an earlier synagogue built in 1865. It was partly destroyed in an air raid in July 1918.
Following the Holocaust, which claimed many victims in Epernay, the Jewish community in Sparnac was rebuilt to around 200 people. Today, around ten Jewish families remain.
Epernay’s Jewish cemetery, built in 1860, is located on the outskirts of the town, in the direction of Châlons-en-Champagne.
Sources : Encyclopaedia Judaica, Mémoire des communautés juives de Champagne-Ardenne.