Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux, France
We lived in an apartment on the grounds of the grand synagogue of Bordeaux near Rue St Catherine, a busy popular main street. I often took walks through this main thoroughfare I found very pleasant with many shops which for me consisted mainly of window browsing.
Bordeaux is a port city also known as the capital of the Gironde department located on the Atlantic seacoast of France along the Garone river. Bordeaux is the world capital of wine. It is a very large, densely populated cosmopolitan city with exceptional and preserved architecture in its buildings and monuments, many spanning centuries. There are a vast number of areas to visit including museums, restaurants, cafés, theaters, libraries, and la bourse, or place de la bourse, (stock exchange square) to name a few. Many of the buildings, statues and monuments and intricate details in sculptures are a site to admire. Bordeaux offers many choices in rich culture and history as it is one of the oldest cities in France.
There are beautiful public parks, gardens, water fountains, and ponds which are picture perfect. Vibrant colors of various species of flowers can be seen especially in early spring and summer, and there are vast areas of meticulously manicured grounds. Decorative and ornate rod iron gates and fences of various designs are also very common. From our apartment at the synagogue, we could appreciate the neighboring areas just by walking and exploring the surroundings.
As you travel away from the city through the countryside, the area is known for its world-recognized vineyards, each with their own characteristics and wine type, depending on specific geography. It is a beautiful part of France, which we only explored very little when we lived there. About twenty-five years ago, we (Mom and I, Elaine, Stefan and Risa) took our first family trip to France. We spent some time in Marseille, the place where I spent my adolescent years. We had the most wonderful time with family and meeting up with close school friends. It was so exciting to visit where I lived, the schools I attended while absorbing the many beautiful scenery of this large seashore city and surrounding towns. It brought me such fond memories, going back to the neighborhood I grew up in. We then spent a few days with our cousins in Bordeaux. We rented a car and had the chance to witness firsthand the spectacular landscape from Carcans to throughout the Medoc region which is quite breath taking. The hospitality we received from our cousins was exceptional. We appreciated their hospitality and still cherish the special book entitled “Discovering the Gironde”, given to us as a souvenir of our short stay. It was wonderful to spend the time and reminisce. An unforgettable and very memorable trip, nonetheless.
Integration in the community
Transitions are difficult. As newcomers to Bordeaux, we had to acclimate to a new life, but we were no stranger to this as we had moved from one area to the next. Living in this new community had its challenges; making connections, getting to know people and integrating into a new environment, all seemed daunting.
We were fortunate that the apartment we lived in was under the auspices of the consistoire (Board of Trustees of the Synagogue). Monsieur Leon Saba, a long-time member of the board took us under his wing. We became very close with him and his family. That supportive connection was priceless and helped forge our connection with the Jewish community. Monsieur Saba especially played a major role in creating a welcoming environment for us. Grandpa felt at ease being familiar with Sephardic melodies and prayers and became comfortable following the services he was accustomed to. The influence on chants and melodies came from Spanish-Portuguese background, that originated from both these countries dating back centuries. We gained a true appreciation for the rite Bordelais which was known as the liturgy of the Jews of Bordeaux. These were unique melodies that stayed with us. They were also very apparent in Sephardic services, with unique intonations, and similar melodies which again originated from Spanish and Middle Eastern backgrounds. Depending on where people came from; Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq etc., you could hear slight variations in the different chants and prayers.
We became part of this community, participating in the different services, and we had a true appreciation for special occasions and holidays. It was especially magnificent to see the synagogue decorated for weddings. It brought a different dimension with flowers which lined the entire length of the sanctuary, and a Chupah in front of the ark which was large enough to sit most of the bridal party.
On high holidays, the synagogue was even more beautiful. In the ark, twelve torah scrolls were all redressed in the traditional white covering as was the Teba (Bimah). On the eve of Yom Kippur, before sundown, tall white memorial candles, called cierges, were lit by congregants in remembrance of family members and friends. They lined up in large numbers on both sides of the steps leading up to the ark. There were additional areas on the side for smaller Yarhzheit candles as there was limited space.
Personal touch
Our apartment, which was close to the synagogue, became a comfortable spot for congregants to stop by after services, for a drink or pastries which we seemed to have in abundance especially around holidays. Sweet homemade pastries were always a hit, but it was only a fraction of what was to be prepared for Bar Mitzvahs receptions.
It was traditional to have many different varieties of pastries which we had without fail around all the holidays. Especially for Bar Mitzvahs, baking of all kinds of goodies, both sweet and salted, began well before the actual Bar Mitzvah events. Grandma Rachel, Nona Rosa and Aunt Laura would spend countless hours preparing insane amounts of baked items to accommodate the large number of guests. As it became closer to the actual Bar Mitzvah, they prepared delicious hot dishes again in great amounts and wide varieties. The spread of food and sweets was talked about and remembered throughout the community with unforgettable appreciation and so many testimonials. It was so much superior to a catering service with a personal touch.
Being part of the community, we attended Hebrew school. As members of the choir, we participated at Shabbat services, and on Jewish holidays we chanted all the melodies our Hebrew school teacher painstakingly and with great patience taught us. On Simcha Torah and other holidays, we each took turns to chant melodies which we performed in front of the ark steps. It was intimidating in the presence of the congregation. Prior to proceeding at the formal services, there was intense practice to ensure our intonation of the prayer or melody was correct, and our voice was clear and loud to be heard. When we performed in front of the congregation, we wore traditional white gown attire complimented by a white hat, such as what the Chazan wears on high holidays. The same attire was worn at Bar Mitzvahs.
Studying for Bar Mitzvah was intense as the Chazan taught the prayers and melodies with attentive detail. It was the Chazan’s expectation that each Bar Mitzvah would become proficient with all the parts of the morning and evening Shabbat services with their respective Parashat. It took hours of intense focused preparation to attain flawless results to lead the entire service starting with Thursday morning service when Tefillin and Tallit were first worn, followed by Friday evening service and shabbat morning service.
On becoming a Bar Mitzvah, our Grandparents and family from Israel provided each of us our Tallit, Tefillin and prayer books. Even though we could not be together to celebrate Bar Mitzvahs, this personal touch was so deeply appreciated. It made it very memorable.
In addition to the religious portion on becoming a Bar Mitzvah, there was the festive part; breakfast for all the children, cousins and Hebrew school classmates on Thursday morning following services, upon wearing Tefillin, luncheon after Shabbat morning service and Saturday night party for the grownups.
During the Bar Mitzvah ceremony, it was customary to sprinkle the Bar Mitzvah with orange water (called eau de fleur d’oranger) for good luck, and to shower the Bar Mitzvah with Jordan almonds, hard candies for good luck. This was done at each of our Bar Mitzvahs. The orange water and Jordan almonds were more associated with a Sephardic custom, but closely related to our Judeo-Spanish origins.
I am describing a brief period when we lived in Bordeaux and our close relations with the Jewish community. We had the chance to be part of an incredible congregation; experiencing the celebrations of Bar Mitzvahs, integration with youth organizations, partaking in learning the ritual melodies, and for myself taking the opportunity to showcase the beautiful synagogue to visitors.
Day to day life
We were only in Bordeaux for a couple of years before moving to Marseille. Bordeaux is a beautiful city, and there are so many sites that I could have visited but did not have the opportunity. My time was spent attending public school and Hebrew school. I participated in the synagogue choir, and mostly visited with family. I was also part of a Jewish youth group as were my brothers. We attended an overnight co-ed camp. It was my first such exposure to kids my age and it was truly a very nice experience.
Despite the difficulties of settling in a new environment, the integration into the community was very meaningful from my perspective. I admit it was far from easy for our parents. Bordeaux brought some normalcy following the small towns we stopped in earlier since leaving Egypt. Although we were in a place, we could call our own, it was still temporary. Our cousins were pursuing their studies, while my brothers and I attended schools and classes commensurate with our age. Schooling was very fragmented as I already alluded, and catching up was not easy, especially joining classes in the middle of a school year.
In Egypt, we all attended French schools which were very strict as is the French education system which we found even more advanced. I attended a school for boys, L'Ecole Comunale Henry IV, equivalent to a Middle School in the states and continued into the next level once we moved to Marseille.
I could expand further on our stay in Bordeaux, but what I take in souvenir was our wonderful integration into the Sephardic Jewish community with exposure from Judeo-Spanish influence which we were accustomed to from Egypt, as well as the memorable celebrations of Bar Mitzvahs.
Disruptions of the Jewish Community
When we arrived in Bordeaux, it was just about 12 years since the pillage had taken place. The grand synagogue had been completely desecrated and served as a jail during WWll. There were photographs taken during that period of occupation that the great rabbi Josef Cohen shared with us. It was heartbreaking to see that the inside was without any pews. They were destroyed during the occupation. Barricades with barbed wire flanked by machine guns, stood in the middle of the empty sanctuary behind which Nazi soldiers hid. Many of the religious items were destroyed including the golden menorah which stood in the center in front of the Teba (Bimah). Fortunately, the torah scrolls had been removed and were preserved as was all the silver items.
We were fortunate to see a rebuilt synagogue. The community was again vibrant with a melting pot of congregants from Bordeaux and many from North African countries, Spain and Portugal. It was striking to discover that a little more than a decade earlier this community had fallen under Nazi occupation.
The building and apartment where we were living had once housed the great rabbi Josef Cohen and his family. I remember listening to his story as he recalled his encounter with Nazi soldiers during the war. The soldiers invaded his apartment. Luckily, he was alone. He was ordered to prepare some belongings and to follow the soldiers. While he was waiting in the hallway, the soldiers miraculously became preoccupied. During this moment, the rabbi gathered enough courage to flee, even though it was extremely risky. While the soldiers’ heads were turned away, he quickly moved towards the stairway and descended onto the courtyard heading towards the small sanctuary which by luck was unlocked. Fortunately, there were no soldiers, and once inside, he quickly found a way and exited through the back of the building. where he was able to escape through an alley way. He later found shelter and protection and reunited with his family. It was fascinating to hear his story firsthand and to learn of the actual events. While he was recounting what he went through, you could almost feel yourself immersed in the story of the moment, just imagining what could have happened if it turned worse.
Rabbi Cohen spoke of others who were not as fortunate as he who did not have the chance to escape. After listening about the occupation of the synagogue which had been used as a jail during the war, we wanted to explore the area. There was so much history right under our eyes, and as kids, we took an interest to venture. While searching around, we eventually reached a passageway leading inside the attic of the synagogue and found ourselves above the arches of the main sanctuary, spanning the entire length of the synagogue all the way above the ark. The area was slightly lit by sun rays penetrating through small windows. We carefully walked around between the arches hoping to discover something. It was a fascinating experience, and quite dangerous looking back, but we only found the area to be bare and dusty.
We had heard of anecdotal stories of Jews who hid and escaped by way of tunnels, and there was some belief that an escape route existed under our building which was eventually blocked. I remember going down to the basement to look with trepidation as the area was very poorly lit with the odor of coal from the furnace. It appeared that there may have been an opening behind the furnace, but it is strictly anecdotal.
Many Jews did not have the chance to escape. They were horribly captured and deported to concentration camps during the siege.
Their names are inscribed on a large plaque which was installed on a wall in the front yard of the synagogue. At the top of this memorial plaque are the following words in French “A Nos Martyrs 1940-1944", To Our Martyrs 1940-1944. On Holocaust Remembrance Day each year, the congregation gathers in front of this memorial plaque, as the victims who fell under the Nazi regime are recalled in blessed memory and a memorial prayer is recited.
When I started these writings, I described our story when we were expelled from our home country simply for being of Jewish descent. It is heartbreaking to witness the hatred and violence that existed then, and sadly for the hatred which still exists today.
Thank you for your interest