Mechel Reisz

Mechel Reisz is a pioneer of Hassidism in Paris, France in the second half of the 20th century. Born in Hungary, he settled in France after World War II.

In the Parisian orthodox Jewish community, Mechel Reisz has a special place and role. He is known as a Shohet and as a Baal Tefilah. His name is associated with the Pletzl and with the Rue des Rosiers, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. It suffices to say: « Reb Mechel » and all in the Jewish community know to whom it refers.

He officiates as a hazzan at the celebrated historical Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue (in the Le Marais quarter), referred to as the Pavee synagogue, and at the Synagogue Adath Israel, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Listening to the prayers of Mechel Reisz on the Shabbat and the Jewish High Holy Days is to witness fervor and emotion (Devekut).^{[further explanation needed]}

Ruth Blau (1978), the second wife of Amram Blau of Neturei Karta in her memoirs,^[1] without spelling his name, thus describes^[2] Mechel Reisz: " Several hassidim living in the neighborhood (Pletzl) arrived at the end of the meal, alone or accompanied by their children. The room where one finds Reb Itzikel [(Moshe Yitzchok Gewirtzman, 1882-1976, Pshevorsk (Hasidic dynasty))] is overpopulated and flooded with light. On the table the candles of Shabbat sparkle. Between the dishes and after the meal, the men sing the hassidic melodies. Among the voices those of the Rebbe and of the Chazzan(officiant) and Shohet (ritual sacrificer) of the neighborhood [i.e. Mechel Reisz], a very pious Romanian Jew who has just left Mea Shearim to settle in Paris with his family. His strong and warm voice, admirably modulated, rises above the others. On the faces one reads the joie de vivre of the Shabbat and to be there around the holy Rebbe. Everything seems transformed: the beings and the things. The dark corridor, the stairs with worm-eaten steps, the dilapidation of this building with its cracked walls, nothing exist anymore. This room illuminated for the Shabbat, it's the oasis in the midst of the desert, the brilliant point in the midst of the ugliness of the world, of the gloom of the exile."

Mechel Reisz is the first contemporary hassid to be seen in the streets of the capital with a Shtreimel and with a Bekeshe. He identifies himself to the sight of all as a hassid. It is said that one day, he walks in the street in his festive garments, the one and only dressed like that in Paris. When he perceives that someone behind him observes him strangely, unaccustomed to such a sight, he turns around and declares brightly: «You never saw a Fenchman?»^[3]

He is known internationally. In the hassidic and Haredi circles, Mechel Reisz is synonymous with Paris. It's the only address for many.^[4]

References

1. ^ See, p. 68-69.
2. ^ Reb Itzekel lived in Paris from 1949 until 1957, when he moved to Antwerpen, Belgium. Based on the narration by Ruth Blau, the description dates from 1956, since she encountered for the first time the family of Reb Itzekel in 1956 (See, p. 67), although in reality, it could be a description of an event repeated numerous times.
3. ^ See, Feuerwerker, 2011, p. 5.
4. ^ One must note that Ruth Blau, when sojourning in Paris, stays with Mechel Reisz.

Bibliography

• Ruth Blau. Les Gardiens de la cité. Histoire d’une guerre sainte. Flammarion, Paris, 1978. ISBN 2-08-064118-2
• Nancy L. Green, The Pletzl of Paris. Jewish Immigrant Workers in the Belle Epoque, Holmes & Meier, New York & London, 1986 ISBN 0-8419-0449-9.
• Jean-Pierre Azéma (dir.), Vivre et survivre dans le Marais - Ed. Le Manuscrit, 2005 - ISBN 9782748151329
• Dominique Jarrassé, Guide du patrimoine juif parisien - Ed. Parigramme, 2003
• Elie Feuerwerker. "A Shtreimel in the Street". Inyan Magazine (Hamodia Weekly Magazine).To The Editor. Your Turn. January 26, 2011, p. 5.

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Name	Reisz, Mechel
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