Rabbi in Paris (and Bordeaux)

 So much of our thoughts about Paris come from either our stereotypes of the French hating Americans or the television show Emily in Paris. In some ways, Paris reminds me of Israel. If you took the Tel Aviv lifestyle and plopped it in the streets of Jerusalem and increased its size, you'd have Paris without all the Jewish stuff. We found the people of Paris to be much friendlier than expected, and as far as Emily goes, the city is every bit as charming  but nowhere near as clean. Granted, there was a garbage strike going on, but there are quite a bit of homeless, and it just doesn't feel as modern or well kept as London.

But wow is it alive. There are people sitting in the cafes from about 10 AM until past Midnight, each one more crowded than the next. And the food...oh my. I had to have eaten 20-25 pastries in 5 days. We stayed in the Marais, the formerly Jewish section of Paris, now completely hipster, and it meant that most things were within a 15 minute walk. The place was hopping, yet, somehow, our AirBNB was eerily quiet in the middle of the packed streets. Metro was super convenient, like the Underground in London. Karen, Micah, Jonah, and I all had a wonderful time.

The Tourist Side. Yes. we did the basics--the Louvre (way too big and overwhelming), the Arc d'Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, etc. One day was devoted especially to pastries. Just how many coffee eclairs can I eat in a single day? The answer is many more than you can imagine. We also went to Disneyland Paris, because, well, that's what you do, when one of your kids is a Theme Park major. Micah and I would have preferred Versailles (also kind of a theme park, if you think about it), but we still had a good time there. There are slight differences, of course, with Disneyland and Disney World, and Jonah made sure to point out every one of them.




Standard Baguette
                                                  

Living Large


In Bordeaux. It was all about the wine. My favorite wines, in general, are Bordeaux style blends, so I was in Heaven. Great tasting at a wine shop the first day, but on the second day, my Middle School friend, Bertrand LaCoin, who is French but spent his Middle School years in the United States, came down from another part of France and took us to lunch and wineries. It is hard to describe the how generous and kind Bertrand is. The wine and the company were fantastic, and the wines are much more reasonably priced than in California or Israel.

          


The Jewish Side. We went to two Jewish museums--the Museum of Jewish History and Art, which had too much about Judaism in general and not enough about French Jewry, and the Holocaust Museum, where we were very moved to see Beth Abraham's own survivor David Galant on the Memorial wall. He is still one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. We also went to services, a Reform congregation in the area, where there happened to be a Bat Mitzvah. We could certainly follow along with the Hebrew (and this was a traditionally oriented Reform congregation), but had no idea what was happening in the sermon. We were joined by former Bat Mitzvah student Eliza Kaufman, which was a great treat. Oddly enough, there was little security, where in many other Jewish institutions there it is heavily armed guards. It was nice to see the congregation thriving. Jewish life renews, even after the Holocaust, even amidst the current environment of increasing anti-Semitism.

David Galant, so lucky to have known him


 In Bordeaux we went to the Great Synagogue (Jews have been in Bordeaux almost as long as wine has), and the current version of this magnificent structure was built in the 1800's. We managed to go to a Ma'ariv evening service. People were extremely friendly. They had 4 military guards armed with machine guns, which the government provides for them. They use the Sephardic custom, so there are a few differences from what we are used to, but we can function anywhere. We spoke in a mix of Hebrew and English, which was a lot of fun.


People to See. I am so lucky to have so many friends in so many places from so many different walks of life. In France, there was Eliza Kaufman from TBA, Genie Godula from Northwestern, who does the English language news in Paris and has lived there for 30 years, and the amazingly generous Bertrand LaCoin from Crocker Middle School. 

Reenacting the Bat Mitzvah Blessing

News Anchor Genie, Northwestern Trained

The incredible Bertrand LaCoin


And now, on to Barcelona...


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