Rashi (רש"י)  was one of the giants of Jewish culture, but for some reason he is not remembered in Jewish tourism. Rambam has better public relations, and many visitors are coming to Cordoba in Spain to see the statue of Maimonides and to kiss his arms. but not many come to visit Troyes, the hometown of  Rashi

Until recently Jews who came to visit Troyes because of  Rashi were disappointed;  there was hardly anything to see. Today it has changed. In recent years, tourism projects have been carried out in  memory of  Rashi. The municipality of Troyes organized a hiking trail in the footsteps of  Rashi, and the Jewish community opened a charming museum in his memory. I went to see for myself.

The Jewish Quarter in Troyes

The streets and houses of Troyes have special beauty and charm. Most of the streets in the old area are paved with square old stones. Most of the houses are only two stories high. Their walls are constructed of wooden beams standing at a fixed distance from each other, with tiles of clay and concrete inlaid between them. Once the walls were covered with plaster, but today the plaster has been uncovered , and the old wooden beams have been painted with colors that accentuate them. These houses have the beauty of a painting or postcard

 Rashi and his grandsons Rabenu Tam and the Rashbam  walked along these streets. In the morning I've prayed Shacharith wearing Tefilin of  Rashi. And after that I left the hotel, wandering through the beautiful alleyways, thinking about what  Rashi and Rabenu Tam might have talked about  on their way to the synagogue or back home

The Jewish Quarter begins at the corner of Bouchera street and Rue de la Cite, and continues northwest to the Seine, at the intersection of Gonthier and Danton streets. The size of the area seemed to me like half  the size of the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem

The synagogue and the yeshiva of Rachi existed in this Jewish quarter. Today a private  building is located on the site of the synagogue. There are clear signs that this was once a house of prayer. In the foreground are signs of a large arch that probably served as the main entrance. This gate was clogged with concrete and windows. On the western side there are two gates with a bow. Above one of them were circular windows that were used only in synagogues and churches. Address: Rue Probert 2

Rashi's home was in the parallel street, as he himself describes and writes about. This street once called "Rue de Juife", now called "Rue du Paon". About 400 years after the death of Rashi, in 1524, a huge fire broke out in the Old City that destroyed these wooden houses. Among them was also the house of Rashi. The city was rebuilt, but the streets remained in place

Rashi's house stood where the current houses number 15 and 13 stand. Most of the paving stones and milestones in the street have remained in place to this day. Apparently Rashi also stepped on these stones literally. It is exciting to follow his steps on those stones. Walking between these houses make us feel like walking between the printed lines of Talmud. It was a very exciting feeling

Jewish sites in the city center

Troyes has several local legends about Rashi. At the beginning of "the Cats Lane" there is a dent in the outer wall of one of the houses. Legend says that Rashi's mother walked in this alley when she was pregnant with Rashi. Suddenly a Christian rider emerged. She clung to the wall so that she would not be run over by the horse, and the wall sank for her, creating an alcove into which the pregnant mother shielded herself. To this day a wall socket can be seen

Once a butcher shop was built in the location where Rashi was born, and lived as a little boy. The house stood at the edge of the 'Alexander Israel' Square, opposite the city's façade.  This was named for a local Jew who was the French deputy foreign minister and a senator. Local legend says that there were never flies in this shop, probably due to the merit of Rashi

The main shopping street of the city in the medieval days of Rashi is now called 'Rue Emile Zola'. Most of the shops there were owned by Jewish merchants in those days. The street which intersects it is the "money changers street", which was also the "banking center" during the Rachi era. Most of the money changers were also Jews

When we study the issues of "Eyruv" on Shabbat, we rely on the detailed descriptions of Rashi. He describes in words how the courtyards looked. The Talmud mentions each railing, opening , or balcony.  Rashi relied on the sight of his own eyes. In Troyes, there were common yards in some of the houses with a common entrance. In many places in the Old City we can also see these courtyards, and better understand what Rashi wrote

Rachi died in 1105, and was buried in the old Jewish cemetery, called the "Field of the Jews". His exact burial location is unknown. In the 14th century the Jews were expelled from Troyes, and after years the "Jewish field" was destroyed in order to expand the city. The tombstones were used for residential buildings. 'The Champagne Theater' building was built on the graveyard space, and a parking lot was subsequently paved. In 1990 a memorial monument of Rashi was established in the front of the theater. This consists of a ball about 3 meters in diameter, with the letters 'ר'ש'י'  on it. (Address: Boulevard Gambetta 1

I don't like this monument. It is decorated in an ultra-modern style. But for us, Rashi stands for old and ancient traditions, the opposite of modern style. It just does not fit. I shared these thoughts with the director of tourism of Troyes, Nicolas Villier. I showed him pictures of the statue of Maimonides in Cordoba that attracts masses of tourists. I said that if he'd do some similarly traditional statues in Troyes, he might increase Jewish tourism to his city

Rashi Synagogue

The active synagogue nowadays in Troyes was built in 1960, on the site of a monastery from the 17th century. All the houses in this area are ancient, from the 16th and 17th centuries. The synagogue is named after Rashi, although Rashi himself was never in this synagogue, because during his time this area was outside the city. There were lots of vineyards and apple orchards there, and perhaps even Rashi's vineyard was in this area too. We know from Rashi that he earned his living by growing vineyards and wine trading.  In his commentaries he is knowledgeable about varieties  of grapes and winemaking methods

     

In the last generation there were only 60 families in the Jewish community. In the 1960s many Jews from North Africa moved to Troyes. Today North Africans comprise 80% of the local Jewish community, and only the remaining 20% are original Alsatians. The synagogue was too narrow to accommodate all the worshipers. Recently, the community leaders broke the eastern wall and expanded the area of the synagogue into the inner courtyard. They paved it so that the outer walls of the adjacent houses now serve as "internal walls" of the synagogue. A glass ceiling was constructed there, like in a greenhouse. Above the ark (Aron Kodesh) there is the verse, "How good are your tents, O Jacob" ("מה טובו אהליך יעקב") , Under the glass roof spreads an aluminum ceiling in the shape of a tent waving in the wind. The result is beautiful. The new synagogue was inaugurated last year

In the adjacent houses in the compound and courtyards between them, the Jewish community opened a visitors' center for Rashi’s heritage. The project is headed by curator Delphine Yague, owner of CULTURISTIQ. The idea of the exhibition is to meet Rashi in his natural environment, and then go into his interpretation as well. They reconstructed Rashi's study and Beit Midrash. The furniture and walls are made of walnut and oak.  Just like in Rashi's times and in paintings from the Middle Ages, rough woods  are used. The room and furnishings look so authentic that it feels like Rashi really was in this room

     

His chair at the head of the table has a very high back. On the table in front of it there is a small stand, with a Talmud open, as if Rashi was in the middle of learning. I looked at the Talmud and saw that it was opened in Masechet Sukkah. I switched back to page 40 where Rashi wrote: "And I heard from my rabbis who used to say … and I bothered in my youth on all sides of the Talmudic system to solve what they say." And here I am, exactly where Rashi testifies that he heard from his rabbis and bothered him from his youth. Wow!. I sat there and slowly read all the Rashi on the both pages of the Talmud. It was my most exciting experience in this trip to France

In the adjoining room were the reconstructed Beit Midrash and prayer room from the days of Rashi, with benches and a small walnut holy ark, without a curtain. Both rooms have an atmosphere of sanctity and elevation. This is not only due to the authentic furniture, but also because of the dim lighting

From there we move into the assembly room of the community. One of the walls is made of huge stained-glass windows, in which the drawing of Rashi's pedigree, his daughters, grandchildren, etc. The pedigree is terminated in the 14th century, when the Jews were expelled from Troyes

The next hall in the exhibition is the library. The curator wanted to describe not only his daily life, but also the scope of Rashi's work. On one wall of the library are all books with Rashi's commentaries. On the opposite wall there are all the books of the Midrashim that Rashi quotes in his commentary. More than 300 books have been written about Rashi in different languages

Across the street opposite the synagogue is "the Rachi Institute". It is an academic institution for research and the study of Rashi and Judaism, offering courses in Hebrew and Arabic. There is also a kosher supermarket near the synagogue

What to do outside the city

In Troyes we focus on Rashi, but the city and its surroundings can offer other tourist sites. Those who come to Troyes for more than one day, can travel outside the city. Troyes is the capital of the province of Champagne, known for its reputation for excellent sparkling wine, called "Champagne". Most of the roads are surrounded with vineyards. Almost every village in the area has a few wineries. There is a single winery named Drappier, that also produces kosher champagne

Art lovers will be interested in visiting the home of the famous painter Pierre Renoir in Eswar. His home still looks exactly as it did in one of his famous paintings

     

Families who come with children will be happy to spend at least half a day at the Niglu-Land amusement park. Shopping enthusiasts will be happy to know that there are 4 shopping centers near Troyes, including the MacArthur Glenn Outlet, considered as the largest in France

The most convenient way to get from Israel to Troyes and to the Champagne region is on ASL airline flights to Paris, and from there by train to Troyes or by rental car. Although there are flights to Paris with other airlines, they are more expensive and take-off and land at less convenient times

 

edited by Shelley Waltzer

(The writer was a guest of the Tourism Bureau of France in Israel, and ASL airline)