Rachel Ellis on Jewish Community in Paris

By: Rachel Ellis

April 14, 2009

Last Thursday I had lunch at a café just next to University of Paris IV-La Sorbonne, and I did not eat bread with my salad.

It was the first day of Passover, a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Hebrews' exodus from enslavement in Egypt. For eight days, Jews do not eat fermented grains: instead of a crunchy baguette or loaf of challah, we eat matzah, unleavened bread. 

Because the Jewish population stills seems more hidden to me in France than in the United States, I was slightly concerned that I would not be able to easily buy Passover's specialty foods, like matzah or coconut macaroons. Luckily, the student sitting next to me at the café had not touched his basket of rolls either. Although I had already met a fair number of French Jews, when I overheard him talking about Passover on his cell phone, I couldn't help the feeling of potential solidarity. After his call ended, I asked him if he knew where I could buy matzah in Paris. He laughed and informed me that Monoprix sells it. I should not have been surprised that Monoprix, the French equivalent of Target, would sell kosher for Passover items, given the 350,000 Jews in the Paris area. 

Aware that I was clearly at a loss for how to celebrate Passover in France, the student introduced himself as Hugo and asked if I had a seder to attend that night. For the first two nights of the holiday, Jewish families host a seder, or ritual meal, to recount the story of the escape from enslavement. Saying that no one should be without a seder for Passover, Hugo told me he would ask his father if they had room for one more that evening. 

Hugo's immediate enthusiasm was typical. Judaism is a religion based on community. Though individual spirituality is encouraged, customs and traditions favor solidarity over solitude. Relationships with others are strongly emphasized in Jewish thought, from Jewish laws ranging from fair business practices to the need for 10 men present to sing certain prayers. Community is a big part of being Jewish. 

The question arises when Jewish community finds itself in the context of a republican government. In France, communitarism holds a somewhat more negative connotation than it does in the United States. Based on the philosophy of equal treatment by the state, the French government defines citizens as French and only French; the development of communities based on other identity markers is therefore a potential source of conflict. So how do French Jews balance republicanism and community spirit? 

Again, the Jewish community is not so easily visible in Paris. Though there are certain districts known to be home to large Jewish populations, the rest are spread out over many arrondissements. While politics and geography might hide the prevalence of Judaism in Paris, solidarity continues to exist. The two modes of interaction, unqualified equity in the eyes of the state and Jewish togetherness in the eyes of religion, are not mutually exclusive. Community is crucial due to its emphasis in Jewish theology and a due to historical anti-Semitism or the Jewish status as a minority religiously. The search for community transcends nations and cultures. In no country would a Jew allow another to celebrate Passover alone. Welcoming guests is a part of Jewish culture that does not contradict French culture. Equality can be the end result, even if alternative identity is expressed along the way. 

Passover tells the story of the Jews wandering the desert for 40 years in search of the Promised Land to become the nation of Israel. Understanding Judaism as a community or nation distinct from other patrimonies explains how Jewish communitarism can transcend French republicanism.

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