The Israelite Seminary of France (French: Le séminaire israélite de France (SIF)) also known as the Central Rabbinical School of France (L'école centrale rabbinique de France), is a Rabbinical school that trains Orthodox rabbis in France. Founded in Metz in 1829 as the Central Rabbinical School of Metz, it moved to Paris in 1859, where it is based in the city's 5th arrondissement. The school is connected with the Israelite Central Consistory of France, one of the major bodies of Orthodox Judaismin France.[1][2]
History
In 1820, discussions began over the creation of a rabbinical school in France. On August 21, 1829, a seminary was requested by the Central Consistory and granted by ministerial order.[2] The buildings were inaugurated on June 1, 1830 at 47 Rue d'Arsenal in Metz. Metz was at that point an important center of the Jewish community. On March 22, 1831, an order of King Louis Philippe I allowed for state financing for the school.
The Consistory bought 1500 square meters of land at 9 Rue Vauquelin in the Latin Quarter of the 5e arrondissement, the center of French intellectual life. David Bloqué, an Alsatian living in Paris, gave a generous donation to the school. The student-rabbis moved to the Latin Quarter location on April 11, 1881. An oratory was inaugurated during Rosh Hashanah 1883.
The 1905 law on the separation of Church and State ended the state's financial contribution to the school. The school kept the name Séminaire israélite de France (SIF), while the rabbinical school also became known as the l’École rabbinique de France.
During the Second World War, the seminary moved to Vichy France for a few months in 1940. From 1941 to July 1942, it was located in Chamalières, near Clermont-Ferrand. In October 1942, it moved to Lyon. The school was dissolved in 1943 and functioned underground until 1945. After the Liberation of France, it resumed its activities.
Mission
Since its founding in 1830, the seminary has had over 400 students, with over 300 graduating with a diploma. Its primary goal is to produce rabbis, though for many years some graduates have become chanters or Hazzanim. Of the nineteen Chief Rabbis of France (including interim) since the creation of the role, the last nine Chief Rabbis were ordained by the Seminary.
Michel Gugenheim (1950–), rabbin la synagogue Michkenot Israël (Paris), grand-rabbin de Paris, co-grand-rabbin de France par intérim (2013–2014) (avec Olivier Kaufmann)
Jules Bauer, L'École rabbinique de France 1830–1930, PUF, Paris, 1930.
Roger Berg, Histoire du rabbinat français (XVIe-XXe siècle), collection Patrimoines-Judaïsme, Éditions du Cerf, Paris, 1992, ISBN2-204-04252-8.
(in English) Robert K. Wittman et David Kinney. The Devil's Diary. Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich. Harper & Collins, New York, 2016. ISBN9780062319012
