The Portuguese Jewish Community of Bordeaux

At the end of the fifteenth century, New Christians fleeing Spain and Portugal began to settle in Bordeaux, where their contribution to commerce was welcomed. The letters patent issued by Henry II in 1550 allowed them to live in the territory, and these were later renewed. It seems that the community only began to practice Judaism openly in the early eighteenth century. Indeed, the first mention of this occurs in the letters patent of 1723. By that time, the community numbered 327 families (around 1,400 persons) and had founded a charitable organization, Sedaca, which provided for the poor, employed teachers, paid communal officials, and sent funds to Sephardic communities in the land of Israel. The community kept itself apart from the Jews with origins in Avignon who arrived in Bordeaux in the eighteenth century. According to a report of 1753, there were seven synagogues in Bordeaux, although these were generally prayer rooms in private homes. Sedaca was later renamed “Nation” and served as an internal regulatory body, while other charitable organizations supported various aspects of communal life. Most of the Portuguese Jews were financiers or engaged in supplying maritime equipment.