Copyright – 2024 – Made by AnnecyWeb
The history of Marseille is also the history of the city’s Jews. The presence of Jews in Marseille is attested to as early as the sixth century by Gregory of Tours, but it probably dates back to the Roman Empire. For the French historian Augustin Fabre, Marseille was for a long time one of the most welcoming cities for Israelites, thanks to “the contact of so many men of different origins, customs and beliefs, constantly brought together by trade relations.
We founded the Bridge Center for Israel association in December 2022, in the Panier district, with the aim of reminding people that the Jewish people are part of the history of Marseille, France and Europe.
through exhibitions, conferences
through projects and partnerships
through seminars and webinars
The BCI’s mission is to raise awareness of Jewish life in the history of Marseille, France and Europe. By organizing information stands
, exhibitions and conferences, we aim to help people better understand the history of the Jewish people. The BCI aims to help people discover the Jewish way of life, and to create a bridge between the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, based on dialogue and mutual recognition.
Our desire is for this bridge to foster intentional relationships, and to establish partnerships that lead to joint projects, with the aim of the BCI becoming a player in the fight against all kinds of discrimination, and anti-Semitism in particular.
Many people visit Israel, but fewer can say they have friends in Israel. Our aim is to help develop twinnings between charities and associations in Israel and charities and associations in Europe. Israel is much more than stones. Israel is history and modernity, stones and people.
We help you find new friends by joining the friendship program.
We put projects in touch with people with the skills needed to develop them.
We are developing an exchange program for like-minded groups in Israel and Europe, including youth and cultural exchanges.
The Bridge Center for Israel offers training courses to help you better understand the history of the people of Israel. We also offer training courses to help you understand the people of the Bible, their heritage and their role in the world.
Contact us by e-mail: contact@bci-marseille.fr
Björn & Brita Lütke hail from Germany, and put down roots in Marseille’s historic district in 1992. Björn is the founding pastor of the EPP (Église Protestante du Panier).
With his wife, they founded various charities and associations in France and Europe.
In 1992, I arrived from Germany with my wife Brita and our children in Marseille to settle in the historic Panier district. In 2017, we took it to heart to start a project towards the people of Israel. The idea of the Bridge-Project was born. The question for me was, why me? Why should I start another project for Israel? There are so many of them, and they’re doing an extraordinary job. So I began to research my family history to find a reason in my personal history that I didn’t know existed. To my dismay, I discovered that my maternal grandfather, whom I never knew, was the chief pathologist at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp north of Berlin.
Some time later, I learned that a large number of Marseillais had been deported to this camp, where my grandfather had committed horrible acts. I had thus found the reason for my vocation to this project. I want to commit myself to supporting the people of Israel by working alongside them and developing joint projects.
My story expresses the Bridge Center for Israel team’s commitment to working against all kinds of anti-Semitic discrimination. Discrimination is a scourge that plagues every society.
Anti-Semitism is reproduced in the history of many nations through pogroms and other expressions of hatred towards the Jewish people. We pledge to speak out and take action so that NEVER AGAIN will people remain silent in the face of this injustice.
Copyright – 2024 – Made by AnnecyWeb
