In the 18th century, The French Jewish life concentrated around three main geographical centers: Provence (the Jews of the Pope), South Western France (Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain), and Alsace-Lorraine (Ashkenazi Jews).
That topography was deeply altered with the emancipation of the Jews by the French Revolution (1790-1791). Once free to settle wherever they wished, many Jews moved to larger cities as Paris or Marseilles.
