The Jewish Museum and a Christian Easter recital

27/3/13 Wednesday
The Marais quarter in Paris isn't far from our apartment, about a 10 minute walk, and has been a hub for Jewish life in Paris since the beginning of the 20th century. Mon très beau mari took his belle fille to le Musee d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme when they were in Paris a few years ago but I've never been before so part of our plan for today is to spend a few hours at this museum.
We get a couple of English language audio guides to help us with the displays (otherwise we would have been pretty lost with my limited reading comprehension) and make our way through the various rooms at a leisurely pace.
I'm not really a big fan of museums but I do find this one very interesting. In particular I'm drawn to the display in the foyer that documents the rounding up and removal of the French Jews in Paris in WW2. The museum curators make it clear that they're not interested in creating a museum devoted to the holocaust, but of course it wouldn't be appropriate to ignore the systematic deportation and extermination of the Jews from Paris. It's very moving, particularly as we're right there on the streets where many of them lived and worked.

The museum creates a documentary picture of the history of the the Jewish people in Europe, and I'm fascinated at how the Jews have been expelled and/or exterminated from Europe throughout history, even dating back to the middle ages. The museum's rooms are filled with amazing artefacts from Judaism, including synagogue furniture, silverware, liturgical embroideries, ceremonial clothes and ornaments, Torah scrolls and books, and paintings of Jewish ceremonies.
The audio guide is full of interesting information. There's also a section devoted to the contribution of Jewish artists such as Soutine, Modigliani and Chagall. All in all, a few hours well spent.
We plan to get falafel for lunch from L'As du Fallafel on Rue des Rosiers, as it's rated "the best in Paris" and we passed it the other day without knowing this (although the long queue could have been a give-away). When we get there we're disappointed to find that it's closed for Jewish celebrations until next week. We consider getting something from the competition across the street, but decide not to compromise. We'll come back next week. It makes me curious though, what Jewish celebrations would be happening while Christians celebrate Easter. So, I Google it later and realise that, of course, it's Passover celebrations (25th March to 2nd April). 
Tonight is our first evening outing since we've been here - I wasn't brave enough to venture out at night on my own for the first 3 weeks!! But last week while walking on Île Saint-Louis, we noticed an advertisement for a free Recital de Harpe tonight at Église Saint-Louis en L'île, and I noted it in my calendar so we wouldn't forget. So we set off tonight after dinner - it's cold out but the wind has dropped so it doesn't feel any worse than earlier today, and it's only a 20 minute walk across the river to the island. The night is fairly clear and the river looks lovely with the bridges all lit up.

We're early, so we wander along the river for a bit, enjoy a peek into lit windows, take some photos, and stop to listen to a talented young man playing guitar on the Pont Saint-Louis.
The inside of the church looks amazing all lit up tonight, and the harp recital, called Les Sept Paroles du Christ en Croix (the seven words/sayings of Christ on the cross) by Joseph Haydn, has been adapted for harp by the harpist herself, Nina Maleeva-Raykoff.

The text (read by a young man after each movement) was written in 1792 by Joseph Friebert, maître de chapelle de la cathédrale de Passau (but we can't understand much of it because, of course, it is recited en francais)!!! We can pick up the occasional words - "glorify", "my father", "today you will be in heaven", and "it is finished". It doesn't matter though, just knowing the context makes the whole performance more beautiful and moving.

As we leave the church after the recital, it's clear that the temperature has dropped noticeably so we're keen to get home to our lovely warm apartment. We head off towards Pont Sully and we're stopped by a young man who asks for a light for his cigarette - sorry buddy but I think you picked the only two non-smokers in Paris! That makes me laugh as much as it does when people stop me in the streets and ask for directions!! The air is freezing and even my adventurous man, who has been hoping for some really, really cold weather. is wrapping his scarf around his face. It's bracing as our noses and cheeks sting and go numb, and it makes us laugh at just how cold we feel - all part of the experience of being in Paris in March!!