Musée du bain rituel juif

About

The Bischheim Jewish ritual bath museum (Jewish ritual bath museum of Bischheim) is a museum in Bischheim, France, in which Jewish bathing rituals were practiced, now recognized as a historical monument in France.

History: The large, half-timbered house was built by Stettmeister Jacques Frédéric Boecklin de Boecklinsau, the second sound of Jean-Philippe Boecklin. The Jewish banker Baruch Lévy acquired it during the French Revolution. He arranged for the mikveh to be built in the basement. In the Jewish tradition the word mikveh, a sharing of the waters, designs an underground base supplied with pure water by a natural spring. The Bischheim bath is an unusual example. The bath is more important than a synagogue because of the strict laws in the Jewish tradition that related to hygiene. It was also used for the monthly purification of women. On 17 May 1977 the mikveh was classified a historic monument. It has been carefully restored. The house is also used for the municipal library.

Description: A spiral staircase leads down to the vault, built in Renaissance style, that dates to the last quarter of the sixteenth century. The staircase has been completely renovated. It...