Casting Zinn sins into the Seine (White sins too)

A very happy Rosh Hashanah to you all. Ours was very simple and quiet this year. Due to the nature of Abby's school she did not take the day off but we celebrated with holiday dinners Wednesday and Thursday nites. So not going to services was very weird to us. We did do one religious service: we brought stale baguette and fresh sweet apple pastries to the Seine as we cast off our sins from the past year in our very small tashlikh ceremony. We miss our havurah friends with whom we have spent high holy days for a decade. As we write this, we're thinking of you and hoping all your sins (and any of ours you could include) are washed away in Shaker's Doan Brook. We miss and love you all.

There is another picture Sydelle took of a plaque on a school that states that Jews were taken prisoner on this location in 1942. Such signs are all around the city and in this way the French seem to be taking responsibility for their actions during German occupation. As an aside, we contacted a progressive synagogue here about attending Yom Kippur services. When we asked where the services were being held, they said they do not give out that information unless you have bought your space, because they don't like to advertise where there will be large gatherings of Jews. Gulp, I never worried about anti semitism in this way before. It does make it seem real. We have no reason to believe that this kind of hate is common among ordinary Parisians (unlike, say, a century ago). But there are a lot of unhappy Muslims in France, and that creates reasons to worry.

Not going to shul was a little disconcerting though not entirely disappointing... being in an entirely different place with different traditions is equally disconcerting. For example, we asked Jewish people we ran across, and nobody knew how to find a brisket. We did find a Jewish-style deli on Sunday, and it had pastrami, but no corned beef. Abby was happy just to have something close. This was in the Marais, and we also found some exceedingly gooey and sweet honey-soaked donuts. The basic french pastries are better. At least we figured out where we could get challah. But Sydelle made some on Wednesday! Her first challah since we moved (actually, since May). It was excellent. Joe went out and bought one of the really good rotisserie chickens, and some apple tarts for dessert, and made a very good zucchini/pepper/tomato dish (if he says so himself), and we ate Sydelle's challah and apples and honey. And Sydelle tried a little wine! Unfortunately, Joe (buying only a half bottle) didn't do very well at choosing wine. But it was the first time in a long time, and we hope the right thing to do. And so, while very small, we had a real holiday dinner, with lots to be happy for.

Then, today, Joe made a brisket. After ducking into various boucheries when he walked past and trying to explain what he wanted, he finally found one where the butcher said, (in French), "oh, you want pastrami." To which Joe replied, "yes, but not cooked." And the butcher said he could do that, and went in the back and found a piece of meat, and whacked off the bones and a bunch of fat, and ended up with what looked like a very long flat cut portion of brisket (almost 7 pounds). At a better price than it would have been at Heinen's, at least. Joe brought it home Wednesday and then wandered around gathering spices, and made it today. Not bad. Again, Abby was just glad to have some familiar red meat. The next task will be to buy another of these and corn it!

So we've created a little bit of Jewish life, and of home, for the New Year. Sort of. Not much, but sort of.

L'Shanah Tova to you all. May we all have a healthy happy 5771.

Sydelle, Joe, and Abby