Since September 2024, Mem Global has been supporting a small MHWOW community, that spans between Tours and Orléans, in France. The creation of this small community started a year earlier, by Maayan Degani Gabbay, when she decided to create a local chapter of the UEJF, the French Union of Jewish Students. These branches do not receive financing for their events from the national board, and need to raise money for their own events.

Thanks to Mem Global, we were able to have more events and meetings between the youth members of our local communities and make the youth community grow. Not having to worry about the financing as much, is very useful, and knowing this mission is important for others also gives us motivation.

Orléans, France, made the news this week as our Rabbi, Arie Engelberg, was attacked on the streets of the city on his way back from the Synagogue, in front of his 9 year old son.

The whole community is shocked and outraged by this, and we decided to show our support to our rabbi by gathering on the following day. We also decided something very important: not to stay silent. On Sunday evening, in Paris, the UEJF and ULJF (French Union of Jewish Students, and French Union of Highschool Students), called for a rally in support of Rabbi Engelberg. 300 people came with a very short notice.

In Orléans, with the support of the LICRA (the International League Against Racism and Antisemitism), we called for a silent March against antisemitism. Most members of the small Jewish community came, but we were not the only ones marching against antisemtism, 1,350 people were present. They all came to show their support to a fellow Orléanais that was attacked for simply being Jewish. Representatives of political institutions came, groups of people from a wide range of the political spectrum were present, and multiple associations that fight against racism and antisemitism.

We are surprised and very moved  by this show of support.

For the participants of our Mem Global events, I decided that as important and meaningful as the March was, the show of support reminded us that we are not alone. Nevertheless it did not allow us, as a community and individuals, to process what had happened in a more intimate space. I decided to make our next MemGlobal event a space for us to share about it. Let’s talk about it- Rabbi Arie Engelberg. The event took place in a quiet, neutral space, since the community does not have a center, besides the Synagogue. A few of us went to a bar, people who never met each other got the opportunity to introduce themselves, and we allowed ourselves the space to be Jewish, to talk about what happened, about how we feel, what does Orléans mean to us (besides one girl, we all moved here in the past few years).

It was a meaningful moment of connection and opening up, that helped bring our little community closer, and made the participants want to come for our next meeting.

Thank you to everyone for the support, the Jewish community of Orleans appreciates it very much!