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Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Notre Dame cathedral and Jewish history

THE NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL is of some importance for medieval Jewish history in France and Europe. Here are a couple of articles on the topic.

Notre Dame’s Surprising Jewish Treasures. The destroyed cathedral still retains priceless art depicting Jewish heritage in France (Dr. Yvette Alt Miller, Aish.com).
As French officials survey the wreckage of Notre Dame, it’s becoming clear that the front facade of the cathedral is largely intact. These irreplaceable artistic treasures depicting the history of Jews in France seem to be saved. They can teach us a great deal about Jewish history and fortitude in France and beyond.
A lot of that history was terrible. But if it weren't for the cathedral's decorative art, we would know considerably less about it.

This article offers some more obscure details about the cathedral: Notre Dame Has Been Everything From a Honeybee Home to a Pagan Temple (Stephanie Eckardt, W via Yahoo News). I can't vouch for the specifics on this one, but read it and make your own judgment.

Yesterday's post on the fire is here. The latest I can find on the current state of the cathedral is here. So far, my summary in the previous post seems to be holding up.

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