meshiksa hasidic roots: May 2015

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Lag B'omer 5775

The only ones who are able to organize big Lag B'omer in Paris are the Lubavitch.
I checked it on one of their website and i found something interesting to do.
The place was great and i knew it before.
I used to take a bus crossing their area when i was living in Paris to go the physiotherapist.
I was intrigued by that school and i looked at them each time, fascinating as usual: what was going on behind those walls?
There i was inside.
But not alone that time.

The rabbi who served us vodka, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

I invited an atheist friend.
I met him in Brooklyn, in my work place.
He was there for vacation.
He is a friend of one of my neighbors of my ex work place.
A friendly alchemy was immediate. We talked about our life like old friend.
He is spontaneous, and an impromptu party occurred.

A couple eating hamburger, pizza and French fries, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Let's dance, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Then, we stayed in touch through social network.
He doesn't live in Paris, but he comes sometimes and more often lately.

We are on the same page: no expectations from anyone, we live our life, we travel, we are very sensitive…
He was married during many years till a misunderstanding made him find out that he was gay… He has three children.
We don't like losers or people who don't assume who they are. We love our freedom.
We don't judge each other… We don't care about what people think of what we are, how we dress…

Fire-eater, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

I only told him that if my Jewish people ask questions, to tell them that he has Jews in his family.
We were not going to this place to tell our life.

He is from Madagascar and he has been adopted with two other children from other countries, by a white French family.
He only likes white men. His friends told him that he is racist. "How can i be racist when i have a black skin?". No comment! :-)

Bonfire, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Anyway, i thought that he could be a great friend to come with me to a Lag B'omer.
To arrive to a place and to see soldiers still scares me. And to see so many children, and to think that a crazy guy can come and shoot all of us gave me goose bumps.

He enjoyed the place and the "party". He knows nothing about Judaism, and it was nice to explain things to him.
He asked me for a long time to come in Israel with me.
He was surprised to see families with so many kids.
He was the exotic person, and i was something strange because i was having words in his ears.
I felt the looks but i didn't pay attention. My joy was huge to have a bath of black hats.
One Lubavitch man said hello and asked me "how are you?". I didn't know this man but i replied to him. Weird! :-)

Leaving the dance-floor, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Hasidic transe dance, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Compares to the bonfires in Brooklyn, in Kyrias Joel or Mea She'arim, the Parisian bonfire seems very small. But to see men dancing and be happy with a pious grace makes me feel happy. I didn't ask for more.
My friend was very comfortable. We ate there. He didn't want to dance with the men, still bashful.
We bought candles to fire in homage of the rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. I helped a Lubavitch man to fire his candles. That was a windy night.
We stayed for a while.

Taking his ladies in photo, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Then, we went to the bus station where we met an old Jew, a cutie.
He talked to my friend: "I saw you in the school."
My friend: "I had Jews in my family."
I was laughing to see them talking like old wise men.
The man added: "Do you know the tribe of Shem?"
My friend: "Yes!"
The old man: "There were black people from that tribe."
My friend told me later that he had understood nothing about the old man was talking about. So funny!
We all took the bus. My friend helped the old man with his shopping trolley.
He said that he will stop one stop before us but finally went down at the same stop.
My friend helped him again with his shopping trolley.
We talked with him a little. And the cutest moment was when he offered me to give me eggs. I was surprised, and i refused. We left him and he was talking to himself: "I know that i am kind."

Hasidic shadows, Paris 18ème, May 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Chez Jonathan

That could be a place to be but that was the Sunday place to be after 3 hours of Oulpan with our delightful rabbi.
He is so patient with us. Sometimes, i am ashamed that we are bad Talmudim*.
The other Sunday, my brain was in a cloud. I enjoy reading a lot, and also reading the book All Who Go Do Not Return in the subway. The subway car rocks me and to read makes me in a sleeping state when i receive fresh air getting out of the subway station.

View from Chez Jonathan, Paris 9, 2015, ©emmarubinstein

I am not still able to read Hebrew without vowels, but that state of brain helped me last Sunday.

One Sunday, 4 of us decided to have a lunch in a Kosher restaurant in Paris, near by our shul.
Chez Jonathan, that's the name of the place. I have never been in that one, but some around.
There are less and less Kosher places in Paris sadly. Great place in a touristic street but the locals come here.
The name is the one of the son of the owner. He was there with his wife.
I had so much fun with the father that i called Papa. His father told me lately that his son is lazy. :-)
They are Sephardi, and the ladies who were lunching with me too are. They were more introverted than me. They probably thought that i was meshuga to be so familiar with Papa.

The place seems to be an old fish store. That's a classified one.

Then the visit of a Lubavitch with his tefillin, who helped a man who just came back running in the streets.

And French romanticism with an Orthodox couple very cute.
Papa yelled kindly at him when he came to pay: "Let your wife drink her coffee, you have time to pay."

Papa guessed that i was not very serious with my studies. I have a real lack of time lately. I am doing too many things in the same time. My head will explode soon.

*students

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

A honorable Muslim French woman

Maybe you heard about her, maybe not…

How can you live after the death of your son, killed by a terrorist?
His son was the first victim of the terrorist.
He was a soldier in the French army and was probably considered like a apostate by the killer.
I don't want to give the name of the terrorist, that gives him too much importance.
The dramatic event happened in Toulouse in 2012, thus you can Google it and find what i am talking about.

Her "job" is to give a message of peace in schools, and to try to make connections between the three monotheist religions… People from different races, religions, etc can live together… Something is possible.
She probably finds with the French youth something that she has lost with the death of her son. She is grieving for the rest of her life.

She has been recently in Israel with young people between the age of 9 and 19 years old, of different religions: they have been in Yerushalayim and Ramallah.
A Shabbat was organized in a family whose the wife was pregnant. She cooked for 30 people.
This is the link of the video of an interview of this woman, and two of the teenagers…
Sorry, it's in French. :-)
http://www.i24news.tv/fr/tv/revoir/i24newsfr/4199787582001
They were amazed by what Shabbat is.
Those teenagers have understood one thing: what it is shown on TV is not the reality. Thanks!
They are probably addicted to TV like most of the French teenagers.
They have a mission now: they are the new ambassadors of a sort of truth that Jews and Arabs can build a world together. Hopefully, they will read the Torah, the New Testament and the Koran.

Is there a feminine word for tzadik? She deserves that title.

Thanks Madame Latifa Ibn Ziaten for your message of peace…

Turn off your TV and travel…