TRAVEL 1
The Pletzl
Continued from preceding page
the flavor of both Ashkenazi
and Sephardic Jews, with
Eastern European style delis
side by side with North
African restaurants.
The varied synagogues of
the Pletzl also reflect its
history. At the Place des
Vosges, the oldest plaza in
Paris, the visitor finds two
synagogues almost back-to-
back, one Ashkenazi, one
Sephardic.
At No. 14 Place des Vosges
is the Temple Des Vosges, a
simple Ashkenazi synagogue.
Around the corner at no. 21
bis Rue des Tournelles is the
Synagogue des Tournelles.
Outside, it looks almost
decaying. But the visitor who
knocks will be allowed inside
to see a synagogue with a
striking interior. The ornate
details include an elaborate
wrought iron balcony full of
detail, and columns exten-
ding upward, with replicas of
Torah scrolls on each.
Even the eateries in the
Pletzl often have their own
history. On the Rue des
Rosiers; the main artery of
the area, the corner building
at no. 17 is a landmark for
deli enthusiasts.
Jo Goldenberg's has been
on this site for over 35 years.
It was started by Mr.
Goldenberg's parents. When
they died during the war, the
son vowed to continue the
business in honor of his
parents. Even a bombing at-
tack in 1982 did not slow
down business. In fact, loyal
customers came in greater
numbers to show they
couldn't be bullied into stay-
ing away from their favorite
restaurant.
Joie de vivre is in the air
here. The patrons laugh, talk,
even shout with animation.
Strolling guitarists sing
shmaltzy songs and kibbitz
with customers.
But the real focus is food —
and there's plenty of it. The
Eastern European style
menu includes everything
from borscht to brisket to
strudel.
But this is not a typical, un-
pretentious deli; it's a place
where stylish Parisians eat
corned beef on rye, waiters
display savoir faire, and
posters on the wall of promi-
nent patrons — from movie
stars and French cabinet
ministers — all remind the
visitor of the enduring vitali-
ty of the Pletzl and of French
Jewry today. ❑
I NEWS 1
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150 Osmun
Pontiac, MI 48056
332-1473
YES! I/we want to help provide nutritious fc
to the needy of my community.
Uwe prefer to contribute $
Please send additional envelopes.
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54
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1990
Thanks for your support.
Soviet Zionists Accused
Of Subversion In USSR
The
New York (JTA)
founding congress of a Soviet
Zionist federation was near-
ly thwarted recently when
about 100 delegates who
showed up for the meeting in
Moscow found the hall closed
and themselves assailed in
the media_ for trying to
subvert the Soviet Union.
The attack was spearhead-
ed by the Anti-Zionist Com-
mittee of the Soviet Public,
whose communique denoun-
cing "Zionist activity," was
carried by the official news
agency Tass and published
in Soviet newspapers, in-
cluding the right-wing
Sovietskaya Rossiya.
There was also a mass
demonstration in Moscow by
some 300 people, including
Palestinians, who waved
banners with the slogan
"Stop Zionists in Lenin's
Land," according to a tele-
phone report from Moscow
received by the Long Island
Committee for Soviet Jewry.
The Anti-Zionist Com-
mittee, to which some highly
placed Jewish personalities
once lent their names, was
frequently used in the past
as a channel for Soviet at-
—
tacks on Israeli policy.
It charged that Zionists
have set up a spy network,
which has penetrated the
government and the new
private sector.
"They have infiltrated the
highest levels of government
and are using joint enter-
prises to amass resources
they need to finance their
plans," the communique
charged.
It estimated that Zionist
groups• were active in 50
Soviet cities.
The National Conference
on Soviet Jewry protested
strongly Nov. 28 over "the
continuing existence" of the
Anti-Zionist Committee,
"despite assurances from
highly placed Soviet officials
that the committee was in
the process of being disband-
ed."
"We call upon the Soviet
leadership to immediately
condemn the Anti-Zionist
Committee's statement as
inappropriate at a time of
increasingly warm relations
between the Soviet Union
and the Jewish national
homeland," the statement
said.