International Jewish Cemetery Project - France A-M
"This cemetery was built in 1788 and used until the 1970s. Its 720 tombs were restored in 1997. Victor-Amédée III, who was crowned King of Savoy and Sardinia in 1774, wished to turn the borough of Carouge into an economic centre able to rival the Calvinist city of Geneva and the French town of Versoix. A new town was thus 'invented' (A. Corboz). To further its development, the Catholic town of Carouge opened its doors in a spirit of tolerance to freemasons, Protestants and Jews. The latter settled here in 1779, hailing from Alsace, England, Italy, the Netherlands and Hamburg. The first Jewish immigrants were cloth-merchants, mercers, shop and tradesmen, whereas their offspring turned to the industrial sector, notably watch-making." Source: http://www.ville-ge.ch/geneve/plan-pietons/pages/actions/prom/6/verso/ang/p6_verso_19_ang.html [December 2002]