MUSÉE DU JUDAÏSME
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Museum adjoining the Bayonne synagogue, tracing the history of the Jewish community since its arrival in the century.
The Musée du judaïsme bayonnais Suzanne et Marcel Suarès, thanks to the patronage of the Fondation du Judaïsme Français, was inaugurated in November 2022 and is located in Bayonne's Saint-Esprit district. Adjoining the synagogue, inaugurated in 1837 and listed as a Historic Monument in 2012, the museum traces the history of the Jewish community since its arrival in the 16th century. It pays particular tribute to the Marranos, Spanish and Portuguese Jews who converted to Catholicism during the Inquisition. For several centuries, the Jewish community was very active in international trade, mainly with countries where other Jewish communities of Spanish and Portuguese origin were established. It was they who introduced chocolate to Bayonne, making it the capital of chocolate. During the Second World War, the synagogue was requisitioned. The museum has a dual vocation: to raise awareness of Bayonne's centuries-old Judaism and its traditions, and also to focus on the city as a whole, by proposing a museum itinerary in the city, in conjunction with other existing museums. The daily life of Bayonne's Jewish families is evoked through objects listed as Historic Monuments or donated by private individuals. The museum is named after Déborah Loupien-Suarès' grandparents, her grandfather having been a member of the Resistance and a Companion of the Liberation... Handwritten letters from General de Gaulle addressed to her are on display, as is his parachute.
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