Occitanie is a very rich region geographically, thanks to its proximity to the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, but it is also culturally rich. It brings together territories with very different histories and experiences. You’ll find prehistoric remains in its caves, and monuments from the Roman era such as the Pont du Gard and the Nîmes Arena.
While Jewish presence in the region has been documented since Roman times, its golden age was undoubtedly the classical Middle Ages. The writings of the great traveller Benjamin of Tudela bear witness to this, as do, above all, the intellectual, cultural, scientific and religious activities. From Béziers, nicknamed “Little Jerusalem”, to the medical discoveries of Isaac de Lattes, the famous yeshivot of Lunel, Narbonne, Nîmes, Posquières-Vauvert and Perpignan, the medieval mikveh of Montpellier and the merchants of Pézenas. It also has an important contemporary history, with many Jews taking part in Resistance networks in Toulouse and the rest of the region. The Pink City is also infamous for the anti-Semitic murders that took place there in 2012.