Rue des Rosiers

Rue des Rosiers is a street in the IVe arrondissement, Paris, France. This is the street which best symbolises the Jewish community of Paris. When the Parisian Jews were expelled from the city six hundred years ago it was here in the Marais that they settled (the Marais being just outside the boundary at the time). The depth and diversity of their community has grown over the years through immigration from Eastern Europe and North Africa. The area is now characterised by its synagogues, butchers, Jewish sweets and falafel stores, providing a life both social and deeply spiritual for its inhabitants. The darkest days for this community came during the Second World War, when Vichy collaboration with the Nazis resulted in the raids which dragged many residents off to prison camps. Today, the community is an orthodox one, extremely religious and belonging to one of the two local synagogues; one located at 25, rue des Rosiers and the other at 10, rue Pavée, an Art Nouveau synagogue designed by Hector Guimard, famous for his work on the Paris Métro. In the last ten years the rue des Rosiers has become equally notable for fashion. The quaint boutiques of days gone by giving way to gleaming, minimalist display rooms for some of Europe’s trendiest labels.

Metro: Saint-Paul.