Portrait of the Day; at the end of the Tuilleries
On our way to Montmartre, at the spot where we needed to change trains, we decided to check above ground to see where we were. What a sight!
Portrait of the Day; at the end of the Tuilleries
Finding our appointed street, we began the climb up Rue Lepic to the top of the mount. Our map had an indicator of a "Musee d'art Juif" at the very top of the page. Because there's no topographical information on the map, we had no idea that it was on the "other side of the mountain." On the way back down the north slope, we stopped at the Musee de Montmartre to learn the origin of the name Montmartre. The accepted story deals with the martyrdom of St Denis who carried his head some distance to what became the suburb of St Denis.
In the museum store I noticed the Modigliani postcard that my father had sent to my mother from Germany in WWII with the inscription "Thinking of You."
The area is very scenic but also very touristy, the first and worst of the tourist areas so far.
We searched for the Jewish Museum and found that it had moved. The building is now a synagogue; it is indeed, the precursor to the museum we had seen the previous day.
We took a train back to the Marais district and continued to wander the streets. Along the way we found an intersection named for Jacob Kaplan who had been the Chief Rabbi of France (a postage stamp honors him as well).
When we got on the Metro a man sitting near us was busy reading Tehillim.
At the tip of L'Isle de Cite we saw the memorial to the deportees of World War II. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day. On Sunday, we happened to get back to see the rather simple site. The description of the deportation acknowledges the many categories of people arrested by the Nazis; it does not however highlight the attempt of the Nazis to completely destroy the Jewish people.
We also happened upon a building nearby with a plaque memorializing Edmond Fleg who wrote the poem "To Be A Jew" which is in the Gates of Prayer.
Many years ago, a fellow I worked with said: "When you're Jewish, the whole world is Jewish!" I have often repeated that phrase. Sometimes I see "Jewish" when it is not there, as in the name of this clothing store on the Left Bank of the Seine:
Note the "kosher" symbol in the clothing store's name.
Did you know that a "horned Moses" appears on one of the walls of the Louvre?
We saw many posters advertising a movie ? a play ? showing in Paris called Le Vieux Juif Blonde:
After six days in Paris, walking for about five hours every day, in and around various neighborhoods, rarely going into the official tourist attractions, with much more to see, we have to travel South.