Judging by the amount of meat and chicken slaughtered before Pesach, the situation of French Jewry is encouraging. Apparently, demand for kosher meat in Paris and its suburbs is on the increase, as indicated by increased productivity of Shechita facilities in France’s capital.

A staff of at least 30 Shochetim worked continuously from the day after Purim until Erev Pesach, under the strict supervision of Rabbi Yirmiyah Menachem Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Paris and member of the RCE Rabbinical Committee, in response to the increased call for kosher meat for the festival.

“This unprecedented demand for kosher meat is simply a sign of Judaism’s revitalization within French communities”, Rabbi Cohen explains to us. “Jews thirst to know more about their heritage, want to learn the festival laws and keep Mitzvos in the best way possible. Undoubtedly we are witnessing a positive trend, of returning to roots,” he added.

Booklet on Pesach Laws

In an attempt to quench this spiritual thirst, Rabbi Cohen wrote and printed on his own initiative a beautiful booklet containing laws and customs about Pesach – obviously in French in a simple and straightforward style, with step-by-step instructions. Fresh off the press the booklet immediately captured hearts and became a bestseller among French Jewry.

The widely circulated Jewish newspaper Actualitֳ© Juive, with 60,000 copies distributed throughout France, took an important step by publishing Rabbi Cohen’s introduction to his booklet in its special Pesach issue. This introduction reveals insights into the essence of the Pesach festival and illuminates many aspects of belief in Hashem and trust in our Sages – so symbolic on Pesach when “They believed in Hashem and in His servant, Moshe“.

This article explaining the Jewish outlook had wide repercussions, as did his supplement on Pesach laws printed and distributed with the Kashrus Magazine.

Training of Rabbis

Another important project initiated by Rabbi Cohen before Pesach was a special gathering for the French communal Rabbis. Rabbi Cohen delivered a series of lectures designed to alert these Rabbis to various Halachic subjects requiring their special attention to avoid errors.

90 communal Rabbis of the capital and suburbs participated in this meeting. Shabbos Hagodol speeches covering both Halachah and Aggadah took place in French Kollelim during the week preceding Pesach. It is noteworthy all this activity took place concurrently with Rabbi Cohen’s activities in the four Batei Din under his jurisdiction.

An additional praiseworthy project – a multiple-phone call centre answering Halachic enquiries, particularly on Pesach laws. Rabbis trained by Rabbi Y.M. Cohen manned the lines while any complicated query was directed to him for decision. Dozens of queries were directed during the past month to this open line, a boon to all those seeking to understand and fulfil Hashem’s laws.

Matzos of the Highest Standard

The climax of his activities for Pesach, Rabbi Cohen saw as the baking of Matzos under his supervision, produced to the highest standard of Kashrus, according to the most stringent opinions.

“With some ovens, if the front of the oven is not hot enough when the Matzos enter it, there is a slight possibility of the dough rising. In our ovens, the baking process begins as soon as the Matzo enters the oven as it encounters a heat of 600ֲ°C which bakes it instantly,” says the Rov.

He points to his excellent team of supervisors (Mashgichim) in the bakery, where the supervision begins with the grinding of the flour. They toiled to clean the flourmill for a whole week to ensure its flour would be Shmurah (highly guarded from contamination and fermentation) and of the highest standard.

The Paris Matzo bakery operates from Chanukah until Pesach, to provide the quantity necessary for Jewish communities throughout France.

Renovations of Mikvaos

No less than four new Mikvaos are currently being built in the Paris area. Also, there are Mikvaos desperately in need of urgent renovation to be operative plus Mikvaos which require total rebuilding from floor to ceiling. Rabbi Cohen insists that all Mikvaos be built according to the most stringent laws; to this end he has invited an expert on Mikvaos from Israel to give his opinion on all details concerning the construction and renovations.