Pletzl
Encyclopedia
The Pletzl is the Jewish quarter in the fourth arrondissement
of Paris
, France
. The Place Saint-Paul
and the surrounding area were, unofficially, named the Pletzl when the neighborhood became predominantly Jewish because of an influx of immigrants at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth.
When the Parisian Jews were expelled from the city 600 years ago, it was here in the Marais
district that they settled. (The Marais was just outside the city wall at the time.) The depth and diversity of the community have grown over the years through immigration from Eastern Europe and North Africa. The area is now characterised by its synagogues, butchers, Jewish delicatessens, and falafel
vendors, which provide a social and cultural fabric for its inhabitants.
The darkest days for this community came during the Second World War
, when Vichy
collaboration with the Nazis
resulted in the raids in which many residents were abducted and sent off to death camps. Today, the community is an Orthodox one, extremely religious, and most citizens belong to one of the three local synagogue
s; one located at 17, rue des Rosiers, another at 25, rue des Rosiers and the one at 10, rue Pavée, an art nouveau
temple designed by Hector Guimard
, famous for his work on the Paris Métro
.
and the Rue Ferdinand Duval that explains why the Jewish quarter is known as the "Pletzl".
Translated, it reads:
IVe arrondissement
The 4th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France.Situated on the Right Bank of the River Seine, it is bordered to the west by the 1st arrondissement; to the north by the 3rd, to the east by the 11th and 12th, and to the south by the Seine and the...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Place Saint-Paul
Place Saint-Paul
Officially, there is no such place as the Place Saint-Paul in Paris.Nonetheless, to the citizens of this 4th-arrondissement neighborhood, the Place Saint-Paul is a real place near the Saint-Paul metro station and the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis church...
and the surrounding area were, unofficially, named the Pletzl when the neighborhood became predominantly Jewish because of an influx of immigrants at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth.
When the Parisian Jews were expelled from the city 600 years ago, it was here in the Marais
Le Marais
Le Marais is a historic district in Paris, France. Long the aristocratic district of Paris, it hosts many outstanding buildings of historic and architectural importance...
district that they settled. (The Marais was just outside the city wall at the time.) The depth and diversity of the community have grown over the years through immigration from Eastern Europe and North Africa. The area is now characterised by its synagogues, butchers, Jewish delicatessens, and falafel
Falafel
Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces...
vendors, which provide a social and cultural fabric for its inhabitants.
The darkest days for this community came during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when Vichy
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
collaboration with the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
resulted in the raids in which many residents were abducted and sent off to death camps. Today, the community is an Orthodox one, extremely religious, and most citizens belong to one of the three local synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s; one located at 17, rue des Rosiers, another at 25, rue des Rosiers and the one at 10, rue Pavée, an art nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
temple designed by Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard
Hector Guimard was an architect, who is now the best-known representative of the French Art Nouveau style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
, famous for his work on the Paris Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
.
Why Pletzl?
Some time ago, the City of Paris installed a plaque at the corner of the Rue des RosiersRue des Rosiers
The Rue des Rosiers, which means "street of the rosebushes", is a street in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It begins at the Rue Mahler and proceeds west-northwestward across the Rue Pavée, the Rue Ferdinand Duval, the Rue des Écouffes, and the Rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, before...
and the Rue Ferdinand Duval that explains why the Jewish quarter is known as the "Pletzl".
Translated, it reads:
Fleeing persecution, Ashkenazi Jews flooded into Paris beginning in 1881. They found places living among their co-religionists already established in the Marais. By 1900, about 6,000 had arrived from Rumania, Russia and Austria-Hungary; 18,000 more arrived in the years preceding the First World War. Installed in considerable numbers in the Rue des Écouffes, the Rue Ferdinand Duval (named Rue des Juifs, "Jews Street", until about 1900), and the Rue des Rosiers, they constituted a new community, the "Pletzl", the "little place" in Yiddish, and they created the École Israelite du Travail (Israelite Trade School) at 4B, Rue des Rosiers. The life of this community was evoked in the Roger Ikor novel, Les Eaux Mêlées ("Agitated Waters"), [which won the Prix GoncourtPrix GoncourtThe Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
in 1955]. More than half of them perished in the Nazi concentration campsNazi concentration campsNazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
.
The streets of the Pletzl
- Rue Pavée
- Rue des RosiersRue des RosiersThe Rue des Rosiers, which means "street of the rosebushes", is a street in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It begins at the Rue Mahler and proceeds west-northwestward across the Rue Pavée, the Rue Ferdinand Duval, the Rue des Écouffes, and the Rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, before...
- Rue Ferdinand Duval
- Rue des Écouffes
- Rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais
- Rue Vieille du Temple
Notable attractions
- L'As du FallafelL'As du FallafelL'As du Fallafel is a Kosher Middle Eastern restaurant located on Rue des Rosiers in the "Pletzl" Jewish quarter of the Le Marais neighborhood in Paris, France. The restaurant is acclaimed for its falafel sandwich served with eggplant and hummus.-The restaurant:L'As du Fallafel's dishes are based...
- a popular Kosher Middle EasternMiddle Eastern cuisineMiddle-Eastern cuisine, West Asian cuisine, or in some place in the United States, Persian-Mediterranean cuisine is the cuisine of the various countries and peoples of the Middle East . The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity...
restaurant located on Rue des RosiersRue des RosiersThe Rue des Rosiers, which means "street of the rosebushes", is a street in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It begins at the Rue Mahler and proceeds west-northwestward across the Rue Pavée, the Rue Ferdinand Duval, the Rue des Écouffes, and the Rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, before...
known for its acclaimed falafelFalafelFalafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces...
sandwich.