Paris Grand Synagogue Shuts on Shabbat for First Time Since World War II
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The Grand Synagogue of Paris was closed during Friday’s terror attacks and did not reopen for Shabbat services, marking the first time the synagogue has not held services since World War II.
The synagogue was closed by French police during the hostage standoff at the Hyper Cache kosher supermarket, according to USA Today, despite being far from the site of the siege, which took place in eastern Paris. Even after the siege ended, the synagogue did not reopen for prayers.
The police also closed the Rue des Rosiers shopping street in the historically Jewish neighborhood of the Marais.
The Orthodox Union told the Jerusalem Post that the synagogue had not been closed for Shabbat since World War II.
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
