A very old Jewish community, Toul has hosted many great religious figures such as the tosafists. Following threats of eviction from the region by religious authorities at the start of the 18th century, around 100 Jewish families were authorized by Duke Leopold to stay.
Léon Cohen, an important figure in local Jewish life, would take part a century later in the General Assembly convened by Napoleon.
The Toul synagogue was built in 1912. There were then nearly 500 Jews in the city. Now disused, architecturally it still testifies even today to that time when Jewish life shone in the region.
A guided tour of the Jewish cemetery of Toul was organised by Jean-Pol Marx, one of the last representatives of the town’s Jewish community. Around thirty members of the Souvenir Français association took part in this cultural outing, coordinated by their president, Maryse Humbert.
The closing concert of the Bach Festival took place on 19 September 2026 at the Saint-Gengoult Collegiate Church, with proceeds going towards the restoration of the Toul synagogue. Restoration work is planned for 2027, in a project supported by the City of Toul, the Drac Grand Est and several private partners.
Sources: L’Est Républicain