Joseph Goldenberg
Joseph Goldenberg, was born in 1923 in Paris.
He became famous for his Restaurants chain in Paris : few Jewish delis around the city of Paris.
The main restaurant was called “Joe Goldenberg”. The most famous one is the one located in le Marais which became a meeting place for the Holocaust survivors and the former resistance fighters after the war.
When I travel outside of France, and meet people who visited Paris, most of them tell me that they tried the Godenberg Restaurant and that they loved it. Even my visitors when they take a tour with me, they sometimes tell me that they have been in Paris before and they met my grandfather Joseph.
Personal Story of Joe Goldenberg
Joseph’s family was composed of 10 children lived in Le Marais, near the synagogue of rue Pavée.
My great grandfather and some of his children arrived from Turkey, just before my grandfather was born ( I don’t the exact date of arrival, but it was probably from 1920 to 1923).
My great grandfather was called Nahoum Goldenberg, and his wife was called Lea Finkelstein. Fikelstein is the yellow boutique in Rue des Rosiers
In his identity papers, Nahoum’s job is ” charcutier”. He is a butcher, and opens a family business in rue des Rosiers, in the Jewish area in Paris that will last for almost a century.
Here is an old picture of the shop, with my grandfather, Joseph Goldenberg.
After the war, my grandfather and his brothers decided to keep working at the old family shop, until my grandfather opened a restaurant, that became the delicatessen Goldenberg.
My great grandfather and his wife, as well as 4 of their children, were deported during the war. This is Rue des Rosiers – Paris Jewish Quarter 19340 – 1944 under Nazi Control – you can notice the Jewish yellow star imposed by Nazis on the Jews of Paris :
I looked at their pictures recently, because I don’t know who they were and I don’t have many stories or details about them. It was difficult for my grandfather to talk about them, and I was also too young when my grandfather was still alive,to understand how important it is to remember the persons who died in the holocaust, and never forget !
I am very grateful for my grandfather’s achievements, and for the fact that he helped carry the name of my great grandfather.
This way, I get to talk about Nahoum and some of his life during my tours of the Jewish area in Paris, and I don’t forget about him, as I don’t forget about the others.
Today, I am a little emotional, and as I have a lot of time on my hands, I decided to give tours of my quarter and to search the history of Jews in Paris. The good and the bad.
I also write about the Jewish heritage of Paris, and some of my family’s history, to get some nice testimonies about the restaurant and my family’s life, in order to pass it onto my daughter one day.
His Cuisine
Many famous politicians, even presidents and book writers, cuisine experts came to the Restaurant. I still have visitors, today, in 2022 who come to Paris and still remember the Goldenberg cuisine, his kosher saucages and his restaurant with his Yiddish specialities.
Sylvie Jouffa made a book about the Goldenberg Cuisine where he describes all the Joe Goldenberg receipes. I try sometimes to reproduce them at home.
The Movie of Rabbi Jacob:
In 1973, the French movie “The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob” was filmed in Paris.
It has become a cult classic movie in France , with the movie star Louis de Funes
The story is supposed to be funny, about two men who disguised themselves as rabbis to escape from their assassins. My grandfather is the second person from the right on this picture above, appeared in the movie and helped the set for one of the scenes of the bar mitzvah of young David.
A part of this movie is a set of Rue des Rosiers, in the #jewishquarterparis that you can see on my instagram.
He also played a major role of the Father in the Movie Sac à Billes – a “Bag of Marbles – 1973”
A bag of Marbles is a famous french movie about 2 brothers surviving and escaping the Shoah in France.
Flora Goldenberg :
Contact me if you have more information or if you met Joseph in real life.
I would prefer being contacted by email : flora.goldenberg@gmail.com
If you believe we share the same passion about History, Art and Jewish origins, I will be happy to offer you an authentic tour of the Jewish Paris.
Read about my full bio : Flora Goldenberg – Jewish Paris Tours
Read about some of my jewish unique tours here.
Emmanuel Macron, France President – 2017 – Now – Tweeted on the Restaurant Goldenberg commemoration – 9th August 2022
Le 9 août 1982, rue des Rosiers à Paris, le restaurant Jo Goldenberg est la cible d’un attentat antisémite. 6 personnes y laissent la vie. 22 sont blessées. 40 ans après, nous n’oublions pas.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 9, 2022
I used to eat at Goldenberg restaurant during the late 1970’s with my father. He would look for visitors that he knew from the olden days. I always liked the Marais quarter. Now it’s very gentrified.
Going back to the early 1970’s, as an American undergraduate studying in London, I first experienced Goldenberg’s deli in the Marias. On numerous subsequent visits to Paris over the years I’d make it a point to indulge myself at Goldenberg’s. While the culinary offerings of Paris were – and remain, innumerable; there was… something about Goldenberg’s; perhaps the gestalt of the milieu of being among others whom appreciated both the cuisine and, importantly, that it – and they, survived.
Subsequent to the horrific attack of 1982, I couldn’t visit Paris without a visit to Goldberg’s – to pay homage. I recall one visit in particular when I’d crossed The Pond with a nasty cold and Goldberg’s was the default to obtain some chicken-soup, etc.
A traditional Jewish-deli is a wonderful thing, alas, all too many have disappeared – for a host of reasons, e.g., The Carnegie Deli, The Stage Deli, et al. Your family had made wonderful contributions to keeping the cultural traditions of generations’ past alive and enabled those of us who came along following the horrors of the 2nd World War to share in them. To your mishpucha I say thank you.
Hello,
My name is Sharon Lautman. I met your Father Joseph in 1994 while traveling with my parents , brother and children and ex-husband . We were on our journey to Israel to visit my ex-husbands family. We stopped in Paris because I wanted my parents to meet their family , my Fathers family who lived on 35 Rue de Tangier and my Mothers family who lived in Saint Cloud but then was moved to a Pension on the Champs Elysee. We went as a large group to Visit the famous Joe Godenberg restaurant where your father signed 2 Lithographs. They were of the Aleph Bet for each one of my boys. I thought this was one of the most amazing parts of our trip. Today , my one son Adam, will be a father soon and hoping he will treasure this beautiful print signed . I professionally framed both prints by a special framer who worked for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Please contact me if you have any interest and I would love ❤️ to hear from you. warmly, Sharon Lautman sharonlautman@comcast.net