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Pauline Bebe is the rabbi of Communauté Juive Libérale, a Progressive Jewish congregation in Paris. She was the first female rabbi in France,[1] and the first female rabbi to lead a synagogue there. As of 2018[update] France has only four women rabbis, Bebe, Célia Surget,[2][3] Delphine Horvilleur.[4] and Floriane Chinsky.
Bebe was born in 1965 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Her family lived through the German occupation and hid in the south of France throughout World War II.[5] Her father was a pediatrician and her mother a lawyer. They were both Jews who, though nonpracticing, exposed their child to the lessons of the rue Copernic synagogue: "They gave me the education which they could not get because of the war".[6] Her desire to become a rabbi dates to her adolescence:[6] "I wanted to be a rabbi to accompany people for the important periods of their life. The liberal Jewish movement lauded the equality between the man and the woman. I saw no obstacle to my desire..."[7]
She attended the lycée Lamartine high school in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, taking classical studies.[7] After graduation, she attended Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales at Paris, where she learned English and Hebrew. She has a BA in English and American literature and civilization, and an MA and DEA in Hebrew literature. Her Master's thesis was titled L'attitude du judaïsme face au prosélytisme et à la conversion ("The attitude of Judaism in the face of proselytism and conversion").[8]
In 1985, Bebe began her rabbinical studies in England with five years of studies at the Leo Baeck College. She stated "A liberal Rabbinical College in France does not exist, and I am attached to a Judaism based on the Enlightenment, to a religion which evolves according to periods and social circles."[9]
She completed her Hebrew cursus in Jerusalem at the Hebrew Union College.[10] She was ordained in 1990, one of about 30 women rabbis ordained by the Leo Baeck College between 1975 and 2006.[11] Though less numerous than in the United States,[12] female rabbis exist in Europe, mostly in England, Germany and Netherlands.[13]
Bebe first rabbinic position was at Mouvement Juif Liberal de France in Paris between 1990 and 1995. She helped those with drug addiction, HIV-positive people and eccentrics who were rejected by the traditional religious institutions.[7] Reactions to her as a female rabbi were mixed: "Some believers were very enthusiastic and trusted me, while others were violently opposed to the idea of having a woman rabbi."[9]
In 1995 with Remy Schwartz, Bebe created her own congregation, Communaute Juive Liberale d'Île-de-France (CJL) in Paris.[14] The congregation adopted the name MAAYAN (Hebrew for "wellspring"), and opened a new synagogue building in May 2006.[15][16] By 2013, membership exceeded 400 households.[17] The CJL is affiliated with the World Union for Progressive Judaism.
Bebe is married to Rabbi Tom Cohen,[18] an American expatriate who leads Kehilat Gesher, the American Jewish Congregation in Paris. Bebe is also the mother of four children; she says, "It's not always easy to be everywhere at the same time, but for the moment at least, my children aren't complaining".[9]
Bebe is the author of seven books and has written numerous articles:[8]
The art exhibit “Holy Sparks”, which opened in February 2022 at the Heller Museum and the Skirball Museum, featured 24 Jewish women artists, who had each created an artwork about a female rabbi who was a first in some way.[19][20][21] Tamar Hirschl created the artwork about Bebe.[21]
