The Assizes of Rashi

Vision

Maison Rachi is organizing an exceptional day on June 29, 2025 entitled “Assises de Rachi”, dedicated to the history of Franco-Judaism and its contribution to France

Activity

The project includes visits to Maison Rashi and two conferences.

François Sureau of the French Academy has repeatedly emphasized the fundamental role of Jewish intellectuals in French culture and identity. He will discuss figures like Proust, Bergson and Zweig, their invaluable contribution to French literature.

He will also recall that France has always benefited from the contribution of Judaism as a source of reflection, hope and civilization.

A catered lunch will be organized to encourage discussion.

Ariel Tolédano Doctor and history teacher, will speak on the links between medicine and Jewish wisdom. Through his work “The Medicine of Rashi: for a humanist approach to care”, he will explore a little-known facet of Rashi, analyzing his knowledge in prevention, hygiene and nutrition. It will highlight an open Judaism, where religious and medical knowledge combine for human progress.

Booklets published by Maison Rashi will be distributed on living well together, against anti-Semitism and on the genius of Judaism.

rachi-troyes.org

The world exists for the sake of kindness.

- Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi)

François Sureau & Ariel Toledano

A member of the French Academy, François Sureau has repeatedly expressed the fundamental importance of Jews in French identity. In an article in L’Express entitled “No France without Jews”, he mentions figures such as Proust, Bergson and Zweig, saying that without their contribution, France would have been “uninhabitable” for him.

He emphasizes that the voice of Jewish intellectuals brought a dimension of hope and civilization to the country.

He also recalls that France is a country where “nothing is ever acquired, neither peace, nor truth, nor even freedom”, highlighting the violence inherent in its history and the importance of the Jewish contribution to its culture and its resilience.

In short, François Sureau considers that the presence and contribution of Jews are essential to the identity and cultural wealth of France and that their absence would make the country unrecognizable.

Ariel Toledano is a French vascular doctor, teaching the history of Medicine at the René DESCARTES University (Paris V). Author of around twenty works, he is particularly interested in the links between medicine and Jewish wisdom.

In his book “The medicine of Rashi: for a humanist approach to care”, he explores a little-known facet of Rashi.

The author questions Rashi’s medical knowledge, noting the accuracy of his comments on topics such as prevention, hygiene, anatomy, nutrition, and fertility. This analysis suggests that Rashi possessed significant medical scholarship, combining broad theoretical knowledge with acute clinical acumen, suggesting that he could have performed medical procedures.

He highlights how Rashi embodied a Judaism open to the world, combining religious and medical knowledge and offering a humanist approach to care.