2006 – 2026
Founded in 2006, the IEMJ celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. These have been 20 eventful years that have made the IEMJ the leading center for Jewish music resources and promotion in Europe today.
2 videos and a few explanations to trace an extraordinary story!
Origin of the EIJM: chronology
February 2000: Hervé Roten, PhD in musicology is hired by Nelly Hansson, director of the Foundation for French Judaism, to launch a program in France for the saving and valorization of Jewish music.
2001 – 2002: After a first period of collecting and inventory of musical archives, Hervé Roten draws an alarming situation analysis showing the fragility of the French Jewish musical heritage.
October 2002 – September 2003: Recording and publication of 2 CD’s by the FFJ (Music from the synagogue of Bordeaux and Jewish-French music from the 18th and 19th centuries) in the collection Musical Heritage of the Jews from France.
July 2nd 2004: Hervé Roten becomes director of Yuval, French organization for the preservation of Jewish musical traditions, after Israel Adler and Simha Arom.
June 2005: The Foundation for French Judaism and Yuval decide to collaborate together, gathering their different collections under the same roof and joining their means of action in the music field.
Beginning of 2006: a group of 3 students from the universities of Marne-la-Vallée and Paris VIII – Saint-Denis work to create a website and a database to index and consult online the collections of what will become the French Center for Jewish Music (FCJM).
At the same time, 3 other students from Marne-la-Vallée do a presentation film of the future activities of the FCJM (see video above, in French).
June 2006, Birth of the French Center of Jewish Music (FCJM), thanks to the impulse of the Henriette Halphen Foundation, under the aegis of FFJ, and of its generous donor Isabelle Friedman.
The FCJM, created by the Fondation du Judaïsme Français, Yuval and the Henriette Halphen Foundation, settles down in a room from the FFJ premises, where it starts its work of digitalization and index of the musical holdings, such as the archives Alberto Hemsi (1896-1975), composer of Judeo-Spanish origin, Fernand Halphen (1872-1917), composer and philanthropist, or Shalom Berlinski (1918-2008), cantor of polish origin.
Since 2006, the goals of the FCJM, precursor of the EIJM, are clearly stated:
“Center of resources and research, the FCJM can receive university students, scholarship holders from partner institutions […]. With time, its vocation is to gather other organizations working in the same field in Europe, in order to constitute a European network on Jewish music.
Finally, a website will permit people to access a set of thematic data in link with this music. The idea is to offer a guided and pedagogical tour to visitors who would like an initiation in this field which grows from day to day. It is therefore intended to be an online digital library where people can listen to excerpts from pieces from the music library. Finally, an important part will be given to the actuality of this music, in terms of repertoire and of creation.”
Translated excerpt from the Foundation for French Judaism’s newsletter.
November 2008 – March 2009: the FCJM moves into more spacious premises, just above the Foundation for French Judaism. Around 10 volunteers work for it as well as a full-time employee.
July 2012: under the impulse of the new direction of the FFJ, the French Center for Jewish Music becomes the European Institute of Jewish Music (EIJM) with an enlarged goal:
- Collecting, digitization and setting on line of the Jewish Musical heritage,
- Creation of an edition structure (CD’s, music sheets…),
- Organization of regular events (music workshops, internships, conferences, concerts…) with the aim of presenting the Jewish musical heritage under all aspects,
- Creation of a European network of Jewish music centers.
September 2012: the EIJM settles down in its new premises rue Nationale in Paris. 130 sq meter entirely dedicated to Jewish music!
2013 to 2016: the staff grows with 3 more employees and 8 volunteers. 3 new disc collection are created (Collections Discovery, Archives and Classical), and more than 22 music scores are published by EIJM Editions.
2016: Hervé Roten is awarded the title of Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture and Communication for his contributions and dedication to French culture and its global influence. This award recognizes the IEMJ’s work as a whole.
2015 – 2019: Every year, the EIJM organizes a major gala concert (at the Adyar and Cortot concert halls) that attracts an average of 400 people.
2020 – 2021: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the IEMJ launched the Mémoire radiophonique juive program, aimed at preserving and making accessible more than 2,000 episodes of French-language Jewish radio broadcasts. At the same time, the IEMJ established the European Network of Jewish Music by signing partnerships with the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain and the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).
2021: The overhaul of our communication tools has led to the launch of a new multilingual website (French, English, Spanish, Italian, and German) and a French and English newsletter, which attract nearly 70,000 visitors from around the world each year.
2022 – 2025: In-person activities have restarted, including the organization of concerts, lectures, and conferences, as well as the publication of CDs and sheet music. Work on the collections continues with the archiving, digitization, cataloging, and online publication of several thousand new musical documents, which are accessible through the Rachel online catalog—a consortium of France’s major Jewish libraries. At the same time, the IEMJ is facing growing demand for musical documents for concerts, recordings, exhibitions, audio accompaniment for museum exhibits, and documentary films
2026: The EIJM is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Over the past 20 years, the organization has preserved more than 10,000 audio recordings (92,000 audio files), 6,000 sheet music scores (430,000 pages), and nearly 4,000 rare books, photographs, videos, and archival materials. Over the past 20 years, 30 CDs (including 27 singles, 2 double albums, and 1 6-disc box set) and 105 Jewish music scores have been published. In addition, nearly 120 events have been organized, including concerts, lectures, symposia, and music workshops.
This monumental task would not have been possible without the dedication of the IEMJ’s staff and volunteers. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them. Take a look below at a day at the IEMJ in 2016
Our supporters
This project would not have been possible without the ongoing support of the Fondation du Judaïsme Français, chaired by Ariel Goldman and directed by Paule-Henriette Lévy. We would also like to thank the Fondation Henriette Halphen, under the auspices of the Fondation du Judaïsme Français, and its benefactor Isabelle Friedman, who has supported us steadfastly since the beginning of this endeavor. Thank you to the Alain de Rothschild Institute, its President Eric de Rothschild, and its Director Ron Azogui, who have understood the importance of our work. Thank you to the Foundation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah, and in particular to Philippe Allouche, Gabrielle Rochmann, and Isabelle Cohen, for their ongoing support of our programs. Thank you to Béatrice Rosenberg and the Rothschild Hanadiv Europe Foundation for their trust and support. Thank you to the Fondation Jacques et Irène Darmon, under the auspices of the FJF. Finally, thank you to all the patrons who have made it possible to continue this work of remembrance. Through Jewish music, we are passing on a part of our identity to future generations.
