The Synagogue in Our Neighborhood

Strasbourg's biggest Synagogue is about 4 blocks away from our apartment, just kitty-cornered across the Parc du Contades.

Now, being raised in Indiana does not give one a lot of exposure to a vibrant Jewish community. Other than movies set in New York, I don't know that I've ever really seen an orthodox believer on the street. In our neighborhood, it is common to see folks going and coming to the temple. On Saturdays, the Parc du Contades is full of families visiting with each other after finishing at the synagogue. The Jewish community in Strasbourg is definitely "vibrant".As a side, sad note: for many years the Synagogue was located near the present site of the Place les Halles shopping mall. In 1940...or 1941...after the Nazi occupation the temple was mysteriously burned to the ground and the ashes scattered. About the same time, the round-up and deportation of the local Jewish community began. They were deported to hell-on-earth places, like this.

But still, the local Jewish community recovered and grew after the war. The only memory of the old times is a tram stop named "synagogue" over by the shopping mall. It is confusing to visitors to have a stop named "synagogue" that is no where near the location of the present-day building.

The inscription above the door of the current synagogue reads "plus fort que le glaive est mon spirit" ..... "Stronger than the sword is my spirit." Around here, this is not a just an empty slogan.