Parashat Vayechi (ויחי = and he lived), Genesis 47.28 – 50.26
The parsha Vay’hi has the particularity of being closed, that is, there is no space between the end of the previous one and the beginning of the previous one. Yaakov wanted to reveal to his sons the secret of the end of time (Rashi 49,1), but his vision was “closed”.
The Grand-Mezel, created in 1428, is the Cancel of Geneva. It takes its name from the Latin macellum which means butchery. It was the oldest closed Jewish quarter in Europe. It was closed by two doors with an obligation for Jews to reside there. It is the equivalent of Carriere (Comtat Venaissin), Giudaria (Nice), Judengasse (Germany), Judería (Spain), Ulica Zydowska (Poland), Chara (Tunisia), Mellah (Morocco) and Ghetto (Venice). In 1490 the Jews were expelled from Geneva. In 1852 Alsatian Jews reformed the community of Geneva and received from the city land freed by the demolition of the fortifications to build a synagogue there, as a sign of tolerance towards non-Protestant minorities. It was designed in 1857 by Jean-Henri Bachofen and the interior decor is the work of Jean-Jacques Deriaz.