How to make your mother cook Kosher?

That was one of the big deal i was going to have once in Paris.

My mom loves Jews as you know, but she could never live with a religious Jew.
She is in the trauma of having been forced to do all the Catholic stuffs.
She likes eating at any time, and what she wants.

She started by being in the denial of my religious changes, thus i had to yell at her to make her understand that i will follow the path that i feel i have to do.

Day by day, she makes a comment, and asks questions.
That's a big improvement coming from her.
She said to our Israeli friend from my childhood, when she was in Paris last summer, that she thought that i had the intention to get converted. Our friend smiled.
She asked me how did it happen that i was 'suddenly' into Jewish religion.

How can i explain that i have always been like a volcano which is never put out?
To ask me for hiding my father roots was a burden for me. I am not a liar like she is.
In NY, i threw this burden in the ocean, and i won't come back to that secret.

I get my life in Paris, and she gets hers.

My mother cooks with organic vegetables and fruits which makes it easy to be Kosher.
She knows that i can eat chicken sometimes, but red meat is not allowed in my plate anymore.
We like fish a lot.

The best way that i found to eat Kosher at 70% is to tell her my desires of food for each day.
Shabbos is special, so i bought the fish. But i didn't tell her that we eat fish for Shabbos: a lie by omission. :-)
I didn't touch the electricity to cook that night.

I met my first Hasidic, a Lubavitch, on Friday.
He had to be on my path. He was walking too fast. He went into a mall, and i had to go to the swimming-pool to have information.
Then, i was back and i wanted to visit this new mall. I was on my way to the escalator, when i saw the same Lubaba coming down.
I had to talk to him. Second time on my path is a second Hashem accident! :-)
The Young man, 16 years old maybe, was scared of me.
That's not usual to talk to people like that in the streets in Paris.
I explained him that i was just back from NY, and that i used to live in Crown Heights.
I showed him his fringes, asking him if he was from Chabad.
He felt relieved that i was not a serial-killer of tzitzit.
He gave me the address of a Lubaba shul.
He was not from the area, thus he couldn't tell me where i could buy challah.

French shul, October 4th, ©emmarubinstein

French shul: red velvet and wooden seats, October 4th, ©emmarubinstein

French shul, October 4th, ©emmarubinstein

I woke up late the day of Yom Kippur. I had insomnias with the jetlag, and i had some stress for my Yiddish cat.
I wanted to go to two shuls. I didn't fast but i tried to see how many hours i can remain without eating and drinking.
The Lubaba shul looks like a store, and people were getting out of it when i arrived. I saw old bourgeoises ladies carrying their pocket book, without wigs. Some men were wearing tee-shirts and took off their kippah, once outside. I was disturbed.
That was not the good time for me to explore.
Thus, i went to the other one.

I talked to a woman who is a regular of that shul. She is originated from Alsace.
I explained her that i was lost with everything.
This shul is one of the oldest one in Paris: neo-byzantine style.
There is a balcony opened on the men section.
I thought that this shul was Orthodox, she smiled.
We talked about modesty, and a young woman was there, in white.
She covered her hair, but her skirt was above the knees and you could easily see her undies. :-)
No tights, and she was wearing sandals.
One girl came, wearing a short.
I was lost with the prayer book. She told me that she too is, even if she practices since her childhood.
She doesn't speak Hebrew, and the rabbi lets us know, once a hour at what page we are.

I was modest, tights with my sandals, long sleeves shirt and a jacket. I was too hot!
She gave me two names of shuls where i can find something more traditionalist.
In that shul, they don't celebrate Simchas Torah.
And i need to see the men dancing all night.

I need to explore different shuls till i find the one where i feel comfortable to practice.
I even thought of having a Jewish coach. :-)
Then i have to check with the Jewish Consistory if this shul is recognized by them.

Now that i am free, i can think of my next trip in Israel very soon…

French Lubavitch, October 4th, ©emmarubinstein