At the liberal congregation called Judaica, our email contact, Helene met us at the gate to the villa where they meet. A congregant has given them use of it for 3 years, rent free. Helene wanted to let us know that the congregation "while liberal is not really liberal." Women can be president of the congregation and sit with the men, but cannot give a d'var Torah, wear a kippah or tallit, or lead the service. We reassured her that we would follow their minhag. As most of the 60-100 family members are from Algeria, Tunis or Morocco, the service follows Sephardi custom. The d'var Torah, which I (Debbie) could follow in French, was well done by their "teacher." Jean Jacques spoke about Vayakhel: The importance of creating community through hands-on work as in the work of building the tabernacle, that the 6 days of work lead up to Shabbat, and that the phrase "lo teva'aro" should remind us not to create fire on Shabbat but also to extinguish flames of anger especially on Shabbat. Indeed, to share in the work of the congregation, each family takes responsibility for a kiddush/oneg during the year and several young congregants participated in leading the service. Their part time rabbi was in Toulouse with his other part time congregation. The board kindly hosted a very full and delicious Shabbat dinner in our honor following the service. We had a great time visiting with them and enjoyed their hospitality very much.
Earlier in the day we passed through the old port.
We arrived a bit late at the liberal congregation, Judaica, because we found the camp site at Cassis and then quickly changed and found the congregation without great directions or much encouragement from Helene. No clarity about whether they wanted us to do anything or where to go. We arrived about 7:30 (instead of the official 7:00), found Helene waiting for us at the gate to the villa where they meet. We did not return for Shabbat morning though I think they would have liked that--how much second class stuff should I take? More on that in my personal journal... about my career.
I asked Helene and she told me that the rabbi and the board of the larger liberal synagogue had a falling out several years ago, that the board had asked him to leave/fire him while his wife was dying of cancer, that she (Helene) and her husband felt that they could not stay. They left. The rabbi left. A few others left and that was the beginning of their second liberal congregation. Now the other (original) liberal congregation does not have a rabbi and this congregation shares that earlier rabbi (who seems to be a Russian, or at least Ashkenazi (from his name)) with Toulouse; It's very hard to find a liberal rabbi in France who speaks French. And, as we've written already, liberal congregations do not get subsidy money. They wouldn't get subsidy money no matter what, as they are not halachic, so from my point of view they might as well be egalitarian. I suspect therefore that the limits on the role of women has to do with the cultural as well as religious background of the community--North African. The women also cooked the wonderful dinner. The speaker made a crack in the dvar torah about the couscous appearing on the table because women have been working all week to get ready for Shabbat, though it just appears to men to magically be there. Mark thanked them for their hospitality at dinner and we gave them a copy of his Haggadah and a set of Laurie Gross blessings.