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Obj. ID: 48151
Jewish Architecture
  Holocaust Memorial Plaque in the Sephardi Synagogue in Bordeaux, France, 1956(?)

© Vladimir Levin, Photographer: Levin, Vladimir, 2000

Who is Commemorated?

Members of the Jewish community of Bordeaux who were murdered in the Holocaust

Description

The plaque is made of smooth marble slabs set into the western wall of the forecourt of the synagogue. The vast majority of the plaque is taken up by two sets of tablets of the law with the words "memory" and "forever" above lists of victims' names.

The upper part of the memorial is decorated by Maged David flanked by the years 1940 and 1944.

Inscriptions

Along the upper portion of the monument, in French:

A nos martyrs
1940     1944

 Dans cette synagogue
Sauvagement profanee
et devastee transformée
en geole le 10 Janvier 1944
par la barbarie nazie:

 ((Des larmes des pleurs et des
sanglots on couvert l'autel
du Seigneur n'avons nous pas
tous un seul pere n'est ce pas
le méme Dieu qui nous a créés))
Les Prophetes
Malakhie Ch. 2.

Translation: To our martyrs / 1940 1944 // In this synagogue Wildly desecrated and devastated transformed [into a] prison on January 10, 1944, by Nazi barbarism // We cover the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping, and moaning [...] Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us / Prophets, Malachie, Chapter 2 [alludes to Malachie 2:10 and 2:13; the source of the French translation is not clear].

The tops of the tablets are inscribed in Hebrew, one word per tablet: 

זכרון עולם זכרון עולם

Translation: memory / forever / memory  forever

The rest of the tablets are filled with the names of the killed Jews in French:

[List of Names]

The bottoms of the two middle tablets are inscribed in Hebrew with a traditional Hebrew formula that usually appears on a gravestone:

'ת'נ'צ'ב'ה

Translation: May their souls be bound in the bundle of life 

Along the lower portion of the monument a quote from Isiah 57:2 in inscribed in French and Hebrew.

In French:

Vienne La Paix
Ils Resposeront en Paix
dans le Sein du Seigneur
Isaie L VII 2

In Hebrew:

יבוא שלום ינוחו
על-משכבותם
ישעיה נז

TranslationYet he shall come to peace, He shall have rest on his couch / Isiah 57 (JPS, 1985). [The french quote of Isiah 57:2 is given in the version unknown to us.]

Commissioned by 

Jewish community

Summary and Remarks
Remarks

4 image(s)

sub-set tree:

Name/Title
Holocaust Memrial Plaque in the Sephardi Synagogue in Bordeaux | Unknown
Object Detail
Monument Setting
Synagogue (active)
{"10":"Any immovable marker or memorial that specifically references the Holocaust."}
Date
1956 (?)
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Origin
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Congregation
Unknown
Location
France | Nouvelle-Aquitaine région | Bordeaux
| 6, rue du Grand-Rabbin Joseph-Cohen
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Unknown
Period Detail
Collection
Unknown |
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Iconographical Subject
Material / Technique
Marble
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height
Length
Width
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance

This commemorative plaque is dedicated to the members of Bordeaux’s Jewish community who lost their lives between 1940 and 1944. The plaque mentions the date of 10 January 1944, which is when Jews were rounded up at the synagogue and the building was desecrated and turned into a prison.

The synagogue was refurbished and returned to function in 1956. Probably this is the date when the memorial was unveiled. 

Main Surveys & Excavations
Sources

"Jewish Fates in Bordeaux During the Second World War" Centre National Jean Moulin (Ports of Exile), https://destinees-juives.expositionsvirtuelles.fr/en/sections/bordeaux/#div-bordeaux-15-1-0 (accessed March 19, 2023)
Type
Documenter
Vladimir Levin, Katrin Kessler | 2000
Author of description
Adam Frisch | 2023
Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconstruction
|
Section Head
|
Language Editor
|
Donor
|
Negative/Photo. No.