Beth Meir Synagogue, Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Bastia, France

Beth Meir Synagogue occupies a ground-floor apartment at 3 Rue du Castagno in Bastia's historic centre, near the old port. The Pisan-style rooms have double-barrel vaulted ceilings painted by Guy-Paul Chauder. A main prayer room leads to a women's section and a beth midrash, with a reception room and kitchen. The entrance sign shows a Star of David and a small Torah scroll model.

Founded in 1934 in a ground-floor apartment near the old port, the synagogue took its name from Rabbi Meïr of the Mishnah. Rabbi Meïr Toledano, who settled in Bastia in 1924, led the congregation until his death in 1970. In 1943, 60 to 80 men of the community were interned at Asco, but none were deported. The synagogue was purchased in 1972 by subscription of the Fonds social juif unifié.

The synagogue is named after a respected rabbi and serves as a gathering place for the Sephardic community to observe their traditions. Visitors can sense how religious practice remains woven into the everyday life of the local Jewish population.

The synagogue is closed most of the year and opens only for a few days, notably around the July commemoration of racist and antisemitic crimes. It stands at 3 Rue du Castagno in the historic centre near the old port, so it is reached on foot through narrow streets. There has been no officiating minister since Rabbi Albert Harrosch left in 1985, so arrange any visit through the Association cultuelle et culturelle israélite de Corse.

The apartment was never designed as a place of worship: it keeps Pisan-style vaulted ceilings in double cradles, painted by Guy-Paul Chauder. A single prayer room opens onto a women's room and a beth midrash, with a reception room and kitchen completing the layout.