Papeete, Tahiti – Bright morning sunlight illuminates the synagogue floor as Francois Yonah Poul sits alone in a dark corner wrapped in a tallit and tefillin.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Praying in the Quarter Fariipiti of the bustling port city of Papeete, the 48-year-old Poul is among those trying to keep the Jewish community alive on this exotic, 400-square-mile island in the South Pacific with no rabbi or cantor and thousands of miles from its nearest Jewish neighbors.
Tahiti’s community of some 200 Jews is among the farthest flung in the world.
As in France, the synagogue is governed by Orthodox tradition. A so-called Committee of Ten organizes holidays, memorial services, circumcision rites and bar mitzvahs, as well as runs a Sunday school.
It also orders kosher food, which is flown in from the United States, France and Australia, and meets often to settle disputes among congregants.
A department store on the island, Carrefour, stocks kosher products. Several times a year, those who gather for the General Assembly of Tahitian Jews contribute to the synagogue’s upkeep.
Most Tahitian Jews say they are French, Sephardic and Orthodox, and originate from North Africa. Like Poul, a doctor, many settled here after French military service. Many congregants are engaged in business, especially dealing in Tahitian pearls.
In the synagogue, the congregation does not waver from Orthodoxy in custom and observance. Like many congregations that are tourist attractions-Tahiti and nearby islands are popular honeymoon destinations-members complain about visitors who arrive on Shabbat from the cruise ships dressed in shorts and take photos.[CJN]