48° 44' 14" N 01° 21' 59" E. 1999 population was 31,849 Chief town of the arrondissement in NW France that came to national attention in 1983 when the then-small National Front made its first electoral breakthrough, winning control of the city council and deputy mayorship at a time of rising when unemployment and popular resentment was directed at the visible and impoverished community of immigrants, many of whom were Muslims. In the Middle Ages, Dreux was the center of the County of Dreux. The first large battle of the French Wars of Religion occurred at Dreux on December 19, 1562, resulting in a near-run victory for the Catholic-Royal forces. The presence of a Jewish community in Dreux is certified by Talmudist, Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra between 1155 and 1157. He participated in the synod of Troy directed by Rabbenou Tam in 1160. The Jews were considered to be the property of the Countess of Dreux. In accordance with a convention concluded between King Louis and the barons at Melun in 1230, the Jews could be brought back to their old homes by force in case they had emigrated. This happened in 1234 when Louis ordered Thibaud, Count of Champagne, to restore to the Countess of Dreux the Jews whom he held unlawfully and the ownership of whom would be a source of revenue for her. In 13th century, Rabbi Salomon Ben Yehouda led a Talmudic academy in Dreux. He codified the laws of Passover. The actual community reconstructed in June 1971 by families from North Africa numbers about fifteen families of any origin. Synagogue: A.C.I. chez M. DJEN, « Le Clos Medicis » - 7, rue de Vernouillet - 28100 DREUX, Tél / Fax 02-37-46-25-80. [January 2008]
Carré au cimetière municipal de Dreux: