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Faubourg Montmartre: Paris's "Other" Jewish Quarter

By Lucinda Blumenfeld  

Orthodox Jews sprinkle the streets like clues as I exit the Cadet metro station, in search of the rue Richer. No, this is not the Marais, where Parisian Jews have long maintained a kind of Diaspora/stronghold in the community, but the heart of the 9th arrondissement near the world-renowned Folies Bergère. That the Faubourg-Montmartre region contains a prominent Jewish contingent, however, should come as no surprise: two synagogues, within a few blocks of each other and both of architectural and historical interest, are located within its peripheries. The first is the Synagogue de la Victoire, situated on the rue de la Victoire. The largest synagogue in Europe, this beautiful, massive structure, designed in the Roman-Byzantine style by the architect Aldrophe, dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. The second, the Temple de la Buffault, was constructed roughly ten years later on rue de la Buffault in 1876, and served as a refuge to Sephardic Jews (Sephardic refers to Jews who fled Spain and Portugal at the time of the expulsion in 1492). Its architect, Stanizlas Ferrand, intended to emulate the style of the Synagogue de la Victoire, only in miniature.

These institutions have two things in common. They are both located on quiet streets, and like so many of Paris’s smaller, though arguably more charming churches (Eglise de Notre-Dame de la Lorette just up the street, for instance, or my personal favorite, St.-Etienne du Mont in the 5th arrondissement) remain largely unnoticed by passers-by. Secondly, and more disconcerting still, these institutions do not appear to be open to the public. At the Synagogue de la Victoire, a guard instructs me to intercom for entry. I am promptly refused: apparently, entry is possible only during the week and upon appointment, which can be made by phone an hour beforehand. Complicated business. Could this perhaps explain its lack of visitors?

While of predominant interest for Jews or those attracted to Jewish culture, the Faubourg-Montmartre area will also appeal to food-lovers. The rue du Faubourg-Montmartre offers a wealth of Italian and Lebanese specialty restaurants, while the rue Cadet offers open air markets spilling with tempting fresh produce.

It is the rue Richer, however, that presents itself as a veritable Little Israel. Nearly every shop lining the street from the rue Saulnier to rue du Faubourg-Montmartre indicates its wares in Hebrew, or in the case of restaurants, offers a Hebrew translation of the menu. As additional testimony to authenticity, each charcuterie (delicatessen), boucherie (butcher) and boulangerie (bakery) displays a sign indicating authorization by Beth-Din, which, it is later explained to me, is France’s expert on Kosher foods.

My appetite has endured enough. I decide, after much debate, on a crowded, lively looking restaurant called Les Ailes. This is as authentic as it gets: nearly every customer wears a yarmulke. In addition to being a formal restaurant, Les Ailes is also a traiteur (take-out) and a boulangerie, both in which (and this is rare in Paris) you can sit down and enjoy your meal, no longer compelled to take your sandwich and run. I take my place in line at the traiteur, where vegetables and meats dressed in colorful sauces, none of which I am familiar with, pry me in different directions. I need guidance. Fortunately, the guys behind the counter are willing to make recommendations. In truth, their service is the friendliest and most accommodating I’ve yet encountered in Paris. I am most pleased with my final choice of a chicken sandwich, Beth Din-authorized of course, with some inventive Kemias or accompanying salads, one avocado-based, the other mushroom.

Conversation with the servers continues to be amicable…until I ask for my usual noisette (espresso with milk) to cap off the meal. Silence, as the entire traiteur turns to face me. What did she just ask for? I am hurriedly escorted to the next-door boulangerie by one of the bakers, who reminds me that, in kosher kitchens, one will not find meat anywhere near milk. Even the familiar treats on display at the boulangerie are not your average pastries: they are fabricated with soymilk. I sip my coffee in silence, head bowed.

Across the street, a store called La Foire du Livre attracts my curiosity. Its wares – books, wedding and bar mitzvah gifts, games and other miscellaneous items all participate in a Jewish theme. I make conversation with the owner, telling him I haven’t encountered a similar store in Paris. "Ah bon?" he replies, a bit incredulously for my taste. "There are about five down the block."

I guess, as is true for all of Paris, ça depend du quartier – it depends where you’re coming from.

Synagogue de la Victoire
44, rue de la Victoire
75009 Paris
tel: 01 45 26 95 36

Temple de la Buffault
28-30 rue de la Buffault
75009 Paris
tel: 01 45 26 32 69

Les Ailes
34, rue Richer
75009 Paris
Restaurant tel: 01 47 70 62 53
Boutique tel: 01 47 70 49 49

La Foire de Livre (Editions Salomon)
39, rue Richer
75009 Paris
tel: 01.47.70.38.53

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Lucinda Blumenfeld, originally from New York, is entering her final year at McGill University in Montreal. A self-proclaimed francophile ever since her first visit to France at the age of 12, Lucinda recently finished a year of studies in literature and cinema at The Sorbonne Nouvelle. She leaves, reluctantly, for the States this summer, with hopes to return again soon, perhaps for good.

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