France’s Heritage Foundation – Fondation du Patrimoine – has announced nearly €1 million in funding to several synagogues, a historic Jewish cemetery, and another Jewish site as part of the Jewish Heritage Program it launched in June 2025 with the support of the Edward J. Safra Foundation.
The list includes the Jewish cemetery in Belfort; the synagogues in Metz, Colmar, Nantes, Elbeuf, and Toul, and a stairway in a historic Jewish building, the 18th century Beaucaire building in the former Jewish quarter of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
The seven projects were the first chosen for grants under the Jewish Heritage Program. The program has now launched an appeal for selections for the 2026 awards.
“For this first edition, nearly 1 million euros have been mobilized to support ambitious restoration projects: waterproofing, restoration of facades, consolidation of structures, protection of remarkable graves, creation of mediation trails or interpretation spaces,” the Foundation said on Facebook
The grants only cover a fraction of the funding needed for the full restoration projects.
The specific announced grants include €133,000 toward the restoration of the Jewish cemetery in Belfort, €131,000 toward the restoration of the synagogue in Colmar, and €30,000 toward the restoration of the synagogue in Toul.
The Belfort cemetery dates back to 1811 and includes the graves of three mayors of the city, as well as other political figures, industrialists, philanthropists. Jacques Dreyfus, the brother of Captan Alfred Dreyfus, is also buried there.
The restoration project foresees the complete restoration of the cemetery chapel, built in 1914, as well as preservation and protective measures for around 50 tombs, restoration of ironwork is some tombs, and new signage and other measures to aid visitors.
In Colmar, the restoration of the facades, walls, and roof of the synagogue will begin in April, with expected completion of a two-phase operation in December 2027. Built in 1843, the synagogue is the seat of the Jewish Consistory and the Chief Rabbinate of the Haut-Rhin and has been listed as a historic monument since 1984.
The synagogue in Toul, inaugurated in 1862, needs extensive work. The grant will support a preliminary study to be completed by this autumn so that work can start in spring 2027.
According to the Heritage Foundation, as quoted in local media, the synagogue’s roof is no longer watertight and is also is weakened by wood-eating insects and rot linked to water infiltration. The building facades need work and inside there are several structural issues.
The synagogue in Metz, the first awardee under the Jewish Heritage Program, received a grant of €150,000 and reopened last fall after extensive renovation.
The Foundation’s announcement on FB of the grant selection