General Information

Communauté Juive Libérale d’Île-de-France (CJL) is a Jewish community belonging to the Reform movement and led by Rabbi Pauline Bebe, the first female rabbi in France. The CJL is part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, uniting over 1000 communities. Though Reform Judaism dominates worldwide Judaism, it’s still underdeveloped in France.

Additional Information

The CJL and a few other Reform communities are not accepted within the orthodox Consistoire. The Consistoire was founded in 1808 after the French Revolution, when the Jews of France were granted civil rights under the direction of Napoleon, whose goal was to make mainstream Frenchmen out of the Jewish people.

To 1995 at 2006, the CJL’s home was in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The congregation originally resembled a chavurah, and was located in a small apartment. Since May 2006 the CJL have a new home, La Maison du Judaisme, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. The Maison du Judaisme consists of a multi-purpose complex centre with a synagogue, a theatre, an art exhibition and a library, as well as classrooms and offices. It also hosts a cultural organisation called NITSA.