About a hundred miles from Livorno, Bastia, like the port of the Italian city, has long been a major maritime port of call. The city is also known for its citadel and its Palace of Governors.

During the First World War, Jewish migrants from Syria and Lebanon, then under the French mandate, settled here, numbering around a thousand people at the time, including long-standing Bastia Jews.

In 1934, the Beth Meïr synagogue in Bastia was inaugurated, initially housed in a flat. Apart from the Habad centres, Beth Meïr is the only active synagogue on the island.

On 20 July 2025, in front of the Beth-Meir synagogue in Bastia, a national ceremony was held in memory of the victims of racist and anti-Semitic crimes committed by the French State, accompanied, as every year, by a tribute to the Righteous of France. The ceremony was attended by Gilles Simeoni, President of the Executive Council of Corsica, Pierre Savelli, Mayor of Bastia, and Pierre-Yves Argat, Chief of Staff to the Prefect of Haute-Corse. Speeches emphasised the importance of passing on memories and fighting racism and anti-Semitism.

On 27 July 2026, the Beth Meïr synagogue in Bastia celebrated its 90th anniversary at a ceremony attended by religious leaders, elected representatives and officials. During the ceremony, the successful integration of Corsican Jews and the courage shown by the ‘Isle of Beauty’ during the war were highlighted, as was Napoleon’s determination to guarantee equal rights and duties for Jews and to abolish the ghettos in the conquered cities, particularly in Italy.

Source: France Bleu