BOULAY

BOULAY, small town in northeastern France; formerly belonging to the Duchy of Lorraine. Jews settled in Boulay in the first half of the 17th century. It was the home of raphael levy , the victim of a blood libel , executed in 1670. In 1721 Duke Leopold confirmed the right of 19 Jewish families to reside in Boulay and designated the synagogue as the main one for the duchy. A cemetery is mentioned from the end of the 17th century. The Jewish population numbered 137 in 1808, 265 in 1831, and 120 in 1931. During World War II, 11 Jews from Boulay were deported by the Germans and one was shot. The synagogue was destroyed, but was rebuilt in 1956. In 1968, the Jewish population was about 35. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: F. Guir, Histoire de Boulay (1933), 73f.; C. Pfister, Histoire de Nancy, 3 (1909), 318; Almanach des communautés israélites de la Moselle (1955), 121f.; Z. Szajkowski, Analytical Franco-Jewish Gazetteer (1966), 229. (Gilbert Cahen)