By: Marcia Abramson
As a matter of fact, the Jewish presence in France can be dated back to pre-Christian times. I learned that for 500 years (1273-1790) Jews were offered protection and residence by the French papacy in the cities of Avignon, Carpentras, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorque and Cavallion in Provence, in the beautiful southeast region of France. On a past trip to Paris, I literally stumbled onto the Marais District. This was after leaving the Louvre Museum, strolling along the Rue de Rivoli and crossing the Seine River at the Pont Neuf Bridge to the Left Bank. I passed the Hotel De Ville and found myself at the site of the old Bastille, the prison featured prominently in the French Revolution which eventually resulted in death of Marie Antoinette, infamous for her quote to the French starving masses, "Let them eat cake, if they do not have bread." The Marais District was also the home of the Jewish Quarter in the 4th arondisment with many synagogues. They are at the following addresses: 8 Rue de l'Hotel-de-Ville, 10 Rue de Pavee, 44 rue Vieille-de-Temple, and 21 rue des Tournelles. Fortunately, on that Sunday afternoon, when my late husband, Martin, my daughter, Jill, and I reached the orthodox Sephardic synagogue, at 17 Rue des Rosiers, we found a Tunisian wedding in progress. We were ushered to the appropriate separate seats for men and women and were made to feel welcome at this joyous occasion. We were also gifted with the almond sweets as souvenirs as we left to turn the corner to find the kosher Joe Goldenberg's Restaurant. I was assured that Joe Goldenberg's Kosher Restaurant is still doing business at the same corner and that their longhaired Dachshund would probably still be there as I remembered it a few years ago. The synagogues were also flourishing in this historic district and the house where Victor Hugo was inspired to write his great literary masterpiece "Les Miserables" is identified with a brass plaque and an invitation for the public to visit his domicile. The Place des Vosges has the historic grandeur of a bygone era dotted with contemporary art museums such as the Georges Pompidou Center and the Musee Picasso.But the Marais District has been rediscovered by the fashion conscious boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and trendy hotels particularly since the mid-l990s. The Rue Charlot dates back to the 17th century when it was named for a business tycoon. Today its narrow sidewalk streets are filled with graffiti and are a far cry from the beauty and elegance of the Champs Elysee and the Place de Concord, for example. Over the past decade the Marais District has become a unique destination for the savvy shopper. Scandinavian imports, including Danish vintage melamine egg cups to Vernon Panton chairs and paintings, glass and ceramics, can be found at some of the shops. British teapots and hundreds of different teas can be purchased here in addition to local crafts of floral fabric wallets and evening bags and cotton rugs imported from Nepal. Paris continues to be the fashion capital of the world. But the locale has moved to the trendy Marais section with all the hoopla and razzmatazz in March and October of the top designers. Their runways are filled with the world's most beautiful models, celebrity audience attendees like Chelsea Clinton, Paris Hilton and Madonna and of course the newest styles for the new seasons. And now Paris' Marais District has the largest Shoah Center in all of Europe to memorialize the evils of the Holocaust.
© Copyright by Marcia Abramson E-mail: mascribe@aol.com
