THE MIKVAH OF MONTPELLIER
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Place Monsieur Untel - the French
equivalent of Joe Ordinary - in the psychiatrists chair and mention the word
Montpellier, the handsome capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the
sunny south of France. If the exercise is one of free association then the
chances are that he will come up with the word dynamique, the city’s
reputation as an energetic and vibrant centre largely attributable to Georges
Freches, the left-leaning Mayor and long-standing friend of Israel.
It would be a mistake, however, to be think
of Montpellier as merely a modern metropolis. And an even greater mistake to
think of its Jewish population as having only recently arrived from the former
French colonies of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia - situated just a few hundred
miles further to the south but on the opposite side of the Mediterranean. On
the contrary, the history of the Jews in the south of France goes right back to
the beginning of Roman Gaul to the time of the fall of Massada in the year 73.
The Jews of Montpellier first came to prominence from the 13th
century when the city began to win a reputation as one of the great studia
of Europe, the University coming under Jewish influence through the emphasis of
the secular studies of law and medicine.
Due to persecution and wars, many Spanish
Jews arrived in continuous waves of immigration. They tended to specialize in
the translation of Islamic philosophical and medical texts, in addition to the
works of Jewish scientists, poets and thinkers written in Arabic. In
Montpellier the Jews lived peacefully enough under the reigns of the Guilhems
and the kings of Aragon and Majorca. But the annexation of the entire Languedoc
region to the French crown resulted in an increasingly harsh attitude towards
their status, the community finally being banished from the entire province in
1394. They then sought refuge both in neighbouring Provence and in the Papal
city of Avignon, where the rue de la Vielle Juiverie was situated almost
directly opposite the Palace of the Popes.
It was during the 13th century,
however, and during the period of royal tolerance that Jewish life flourished,
that the community felt confident enough to settle in the heart of the city, a
synagogue and its outbuildings being located at number one rue de la
Barralerie. Although this place of residence and worship has long since
been demolished, one fascinating relic of Jewish medieval life has survived
throughout the centuries, the Mikvah (‘Mikvé’ in French) - or ritual
baths in which one bathes for the restoration of ritual purity. The Mishna
describes in elaborate detail the requirements for ritually proper water and
for the quantity of water required for ritual cleansing. In fact a mikvah used to
be considered as so essential to each community that, if necessary, a synagogue
could be sold to finance its construction.
Thanks to financing provided by the local
municipality, the mikvah of Montpellier has now been elaborately renovated and
restored. To walk down its vaulted staircase is take a walk back down through
the centuries. And if you do take the trouble to go down to the mikva today,
whilst it is highly unlikely that you will stumble upon a teddy bear’s picnic,
the chances are that you will be in for a big surprise. For at the bottom of
the staircase an ancient door leads on to several large open surfaces, the main
area consisting of a disrobing room which in turns leads on to main bathing
area itself, a sizable natural expanse of water. "Ici, c’est la piscine
juive", your local guide will inform you "and here you have a
Jewish swimming pool". Of course its not an accurate translation, but one
has some sympathy with her task in trying to communicate its historical and
cultural significance to a group of Japanese tourists. The best technique is to
let your imagination wander, to recreate in your own mind the atmosphere of
those days gone-by, and to look beyond the roman columns and arches which lead
only towards a bench where oil lamps and primitive heating devices once stood.
Back up into daylight again and you cannot
but be struck by thoroughly modern Montpellier, an image the Mayor is anxious
to project. Delighted that Montpellier should have been selected as one of the
host cities for the forthcoming World Cup, a large neon sign informs you that
there are just 46 days to go until the le kick off. But if you are a
truly faithful supporter, why not allow yourself some extra time to visit to
medieval mikvah of Montpellier - and in so doing score a goal or two for a
unique piece of Jewish history?
(Guided visits of the Montpellier Mikva
available on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons through the local Tourist
Office. Telephone: 00 33 467 58 67 58. Fax: 00 33 467 58 67 59.)
The main Web site of freelance writer Jeremy
Josephs is at www.jeremyjosephs.com Please check there if you might be interested in
engaging him as a writer.
Many of his articles are available online.
Please check the sitemap
for a complete list.