The Jewish community in Tours is one of the oldest in France, with a presence in Touraine likely dating back to at least the 6th century. From 1860 to the present day, rabbis have served almost continuously. After World War I, the first Jewish families from Turkey and Salonika arrived in Tours, followed in the 1930s by Jews from Eastern Europe, primarily from Poland. During World War II, Tours’ Jews were persecuted by the Nazis and the Vichy regime, leading to arrests and interments at the La Lande camp in Monts. From this camp and other internment centers, more than 1,000 Jews were deported, and three-quarters of the community perished in the Shoah. Despite the loss, a small group of survivors restored the vandalized synagogue, and community life resumed. Starting in the early 1960s, the arrival of Jews from Algeria, and later from Morocco and Tunisia, transformed the community’s socio-religious composition. What was once an Ashkenazi community became predominantly Sephardic.

Currently, the community includes approximately 120 contributing families, though there are at least 200 Jewish families in Tours. There is a minyan every Shabbos and sometimes even on Sunday mornings. Torah classes are held during the week, and women’s events are organized on various themes (Challah, Taharat Hamishpacha…). Children attend Torah study every Sunday, with about a dozen in attendance. A Gan Israel summer camp is also held each year.
The kosher grocery store was established so that congregants would not need to travel to Paris to buy kosher food. This store has encouraged many families to observe kashrus. For each holiday, community ceremonies and meals are organized.

There is currently no Mikvah between Paris and Bordeaux, two cities separated by 600 km, in the Central West of France. The central location of Tours could serve a dozen communities. Additionally, it would be accessible to tourists, including the many Americans who visit the UNESCO-listed Loire Valley region with its renowned châteaux.
The twelve communities surrounding Tours represent approximately 900 to 1,000 Jewish families, or nearly 3,500 people, with about 600 in the Tours community alone. We estimate that around half of these families observe halachic practices to varying degrees.