Day Fifty Four: Sunrise, Sunset

November 13, 2017

One of the quartiers often cited for a walk in Paris is le "Marais". This is a formerly marshy area that was drained in the 12th century and turned to agriculture. Since that time it has gone through various stages, with fine homes at one time, converted to flats or disused, and with a revival as a art and theatrical area starting in 1962. What caught our eye, though, was the presence of the tiny Jewish quarter, centred on Rue des Rosiers. Rick Steves and other guides flag this as an area where you can even find bagels. So Rue des Rosiers was our objective.

We found it, and began our stroll. Right away we came on a garden honouring someone called Joseph Migneret, who is credited with saving dozens of Jewish children from deportation in WW II. In fact a nearby plaque counts 11,000 children deported from here from 1942 to 1944. A short list shows some names and ages. Youngest on the list was 27 days old. Another plaque on the same theme had fresh flowers:

We noticed one or two people in the street with traditional Jewish dress, maybe only a skull cap. The street was however mainly notable for having the standard (large) number of chic clothing stores, macaroon shops, or maybe chocolatiers. But we did come to the first of what were two bakeries with a Jewish theme. In the bakery the man behnd the counter wore a skull cap, and importantly they had several varieties of goodies with muhn - poppy seed - filling. These were labelled "pavot" but the man understood "muhn". "Muhn" is Yiddish, but is the same (if pronounced a little differently) in German. They had bagel too, though only a few, and of course very expensive.

Bagels. We did not try them, but it would have been interesting. Montreal has the world's best and only true bagels, though!

In terms of "ethnic" restaurants, we did spot one or two places offering some traditional foods, like latkes (potato pancakes) - but nothing like you might expect in a "real" delicatessen. That word - delicatessen - is actually not found in Europe, and in Germany maybe the closest type of shop would be "metzgerei". "Delicatessen" could well be a North American invention. However, one shop here did have that word on its sign.

A more common ethnic food on offer was "falafel", which is more commonly a Middle Eastern thing. This seemed to fit well with the common shawarma format and not the "delicatessen" standard.

We did also encounter several shops with Jewish type goods, like star of David necklaces, or Jewish themed figurines.

At the main corner in the Jewish quarter.

This falafel place claims to be under religious supervision.

But things really picked up when we walked into the radar of a young man whose name turned out to be Hillel Piekarski. His card identified him as a "Rabbi" but that is a designation that might be subject to loose definition in the Jewish faith.

Hillel asked me if I were Jewish, the sake of discussion I said yes. After all, I had had a bar mitzvah. But at the age of 13 it is rare to know what you think, and from 14-69 I would best be categorized as an atheist. Hillel asked if he could say prayers with me, and I agreed. On these trips, we are open to every culture or belief, and you can find a "cloak of protection" being conjured over us in the Southern U.S., Dodie's knee being healed by a Lutheran on the Camino, and us detouring specifically to walk the steps in Lourdes.

Hillel then offered to show us the old synagogue, which was really little more than a room in an apartment, but which had been there since 1761. There is another (much larger) synagogue around the corner, which we also photographed, and I think services are currently still being held in both.

Another man was in the synagogue and he offered to take our photo. But then he asked if the camera could do black and white, and after I reset it, he redid the shot that way. I am not sure why he wanted black and white, maybe he felt it was more subdued and traditional. Hillel also proudly showed us the "patio" outside this second floor apartment. He reported that they use this at Succoth. That is the holiday coming approximately in September where people eat and maybe sleep in the Sukkah, an outdoor shelter featuring a roof of some sort of natural fiber (like branches and leaves).

Hillel identified himself as coming from Brooklyn (four years ago). I asked him about "accosting" people in the street about religion, since nominally Jews are not evangelical. He replied that the critical intro question was whether I was Jewish. If yes, then the objective was to remind visitors that their heritage is still alive here, and maybe to rekindle their interest in it. I rather liked what he said next. "Who knows, maybe you will light a candle some Friday evening, or do something about a Sabbath, one time." It was the kind of nuanced, bargaining approach that I recognize as being part of the culture.

(That continued as I offered a handshake to Hillel as we parted. But he said he could not do it. A bit of exploration revealed that what he could not do was to shake with Dodie, could not touch a woman not his wife. So I shook with him, and then I with Dodie. Done!)

So that's how we got into the synagogue, and got to meet a legitimate resident of this very small section, once totally destroyed and now so infiltrated by fashion and macaroon shops. We had to go quickly for a rendez-vous with our friend Didier, at the eastern edge of the city, but we resolved to come back right after, if only to check out that second bakery.

Hillel and Steve. We have to admit some resemblance.

Old and new - man in the synagogue talks on the cell phone.

In view of our experience in the Jewish quarter, and in keeping with the Anniversary theme, have a look at this clip from Fiddler on the Roof. Whether you believe in a supernatural spirit or not, the cultural power of the religious traditions is evident, while the power of love transcends all.

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Didier lives about 25 km out of the city, to the north west, but works near the eastern edge. His commute is over an hour on the RER train. We met Didier near work and went to a Portugese café. We have seen Didier approximately every year of late, but most recently last Spring before we left for the Camino. Even after just 9 months it was really great to see him again.

Didier told about having made a recent trip to Liverpool with his son Jeremy and daughter Victoria. The big thing there is the Beatles, and Didier and kids did stuff like going to the coffee house where the Beatles got their start. Didier took out his phone - photo album and we followed along with the sights of the trip. It was interesting to see how Didier had taken care to capture some of the more exotic things - like a "full English" breakfast, and pancakes and hash browns at McDonald's. Pancakes and hash browns is something as bloggable to a French man as moules-frites are to us!

Didier's wife, Corrinne could not be with us because she had just left for Albi for a bit. She still has family and a house there. Corinne is a gifted sculptress, and has been with Didier at several shows lately - in Monaco and at Mulhouse.

What interested Didier in England (other than Beatles stuff)

Didier told us that she has a small exhibition at a gallery not far from the Jewish quarter, in the Marais. So we planned our after lunch return to the Marais to hit the gallery first.

The gallery was a quite large collective effort by an association of crafters and artists, called Empreintes. You can see some of their stuff here. Corinne rather specializes in figures of smiling monks. They seem to have the power to cheer you up, and a re very well done. Have a look:

One "big" feature of Empreinte is that they have many floors and an elevator that is too old to work. They said no repairers remain in France that can deal with it. So Dodie and her knees had to negotiate the rickety stairs. We are definitely marching her around too much!

We are getting used to stairs like this in Europe - tough on the knees, though.

Back at the Jewish quarter we got a few more photos, and even more "muhn" stuff, but all from that first bakery. The second did not seem to hit the mark.

The only place we have seen labelled "delicatessen: in Europe.

We also found a shop with Breton items, like kouign, gateau Nantais, macaroons, and also chocolate "sculptures". I was intrigued to see that the founder of the shop (now a chain) had earned a "Meilleurs Ouvriers de France" award, in 1994.

The Meilleurs Ouvriers de France award as I understand it is somewhere between a PhD and a Nobel Prize, in prestige. OK, in cooking, maybe it is like winning the Iron Chef. This particular one, Georges Larnicol is back in Brittany, but we got to buy his Kouign here. Very sticky, but yummy!

Kouign flavours - like mandarin and caramel!

One the way back to our room, we picked up some very good prepared salads at Monoprix. Dodie spied me looking at the Crème Caramel and other refrigerated pudding type desserts, and reminded that we had kouign, and muhn treats in the backpack. Yes, but our time here is feeling limited, and we have not yet eaten every treat, photo'ed every café, walked every district, or even really seen the Louvre. It's panic stations!

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