ABSTRACT

Paris has traditionally been known for the production of luxury items, such as elegant fashions, shoes and other leather goods, jewellery and articles de Paris. Highly skilled workers produced these luxury items under very labour-intensive conditions at workshops in the city centre. The finished products were sent to clients in France and abroad. Most Jewish immigrants found employment in these transformed industries. Some had acquired experience in one of these occupations in Eastern Europe, while others adapted to the demand on the labour market. The education was intended to cultivate solidarity among Jews and to provide Jews with the moral wherewithal to withstand attacks from outside. The importance of religion to many Jewish immigrants was apparent from their sacrifices to ensure that their children received religious instruction. Immigrant families also manifested their attachment to certain traditions by their relatively large proportion in the bar mitzvahs performed in Paris. The culture of the immigrant community was based largely on East European traditions.