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’ecree of Napoleon's
'Grand Sanhedrin"
11., infamous Decree of Napoleon’s
(,rand Sanhedrin’ March 17, 1808
’AllIS (March 17, 1808) — All
,.,i-y is painfully shocked today.
IT.,. Grand Sanhedrin — the sup-
hope of World Jewry — es-
nihlishod by the Emperor Napo-
1., m lias issued an official decree.
The provisions of this decree have
..(moked French Jewish leaders who
1., vc looked to their reestablished
Go,mi Sanhedrin as a force toward
„• licttennent of their lot as Jews.
The Grand Sanhedrin, an assem
blage of Jewish rabbis and leaders
(ion, all France called together by
tin Emperor Napoleon, after meet
ing tor 13 months has finally issued
its first official decree. That de
rive. which has already received
:lv epithet ’infamous’ by certain
Jewish leaders upon first hearing
if its provisions, lists a number of
rrstiictions upon the Jews of
France in an effort to encourage
more rapid assimilation.
The decree provides for the sus-
ptnsion for 10 years of payment of
.,11 debts owed to Jews by French
ianm rs, Jews are now to be de
mon the right to settle in certain
parts of France unless they become
tanners. Jews must now obtain
special permission in order to go
into business. Jews are to be no
longer allowed to offer substitutes
in lieu of their conscription into
the army. Christian citizens still
have this privilege.
Frier to this startling pronounce
ment. the Grand Sanhedrin meet
ing in Paris appeared to Jews the
•m ild over as a recognition of their
mhts. The august body of Jewish
religious law reestablished after
r 2000 years was the highest
hgious and political authority in
hie Jewish state of 2000 years ago.
m restablishment by the Emper-
Napoleon seemed to mark his
esty as the greatest friend of
Jews in the modern world,
m however, some sources claim
as simply a political maneuver
rick the Jews into submission.
■ ord of further explanation has
e from the Emperor’s palace or
■ representatives of the Grand
■ hedrin. Reports reaching us
ate that no active or violent
ests have occured in Paris upon
! ‘Se of the news.
is said that the Emperor’s ap-
p n t friendliness to the Jews be-
§ when his victorious armies
r > red Egypt and poised ready to
against the Turks in an effort
,0 oerate Palestine from the Ot-
to n Empire. The emperor called
T Southern Israelite
upon the Jews living in Palestine
to rise up against their oppressors
and look to him as their ’protector.’
Although his Palestine campaign
was not eminently successful as
other campaigns undertaken by
the brilliant general but it did
much to establish the French con
queror as a friend of the Jews.
Returning to France with half
the world at his feet, Napoleon
Bonaparte set himself to the work
of administring his great domain.
Inspection trips along farming pro
vinces in France brought unfortun
ate news to the conqueror. There
were constant complaints by the
populace that the Jewish money
lenders were usurious in their
methods. The Jews were univer
sally condemned. Word reached
the emperor on all hands that the
Jews were to blame. It is per
haps unfortunate that no one was
on hand to explain why Jews had
been forced into that degrading oc
cupation for so many centuries.
What his majesty’s true opinion
is of the Jews no one knows, but
one hardly needs the powers of a
soothsayer to guess when constant
reports and complaints of Jewish
‘usury’ impinge upon the emperor’s
cars.
When the emperor of the west
ern world called together the As
sembly of Notables in July 180(1,
it was hoped that this man who has
been allowed by God to rule would
prove his greatness by super-hu
man understanding of a long op
pressed and long-missunderstood
people.
The emperor called for represen
tatives of the Jewish people to be
chosen by the territorial governors
and the Assembly of Notables was
convened in Paris two years ago.
These representatives, mostly lay
men. were to consult with the em
peror on the relations between the
Jews and the rest of the French
population.
The Assembly passed no laws in
the six months of its existence. No
resolutions or proposals were forth
coming. In February 1807, Emper
or Napoleon decided to disband it
for a far more dramatic move in
his effort to solve the ‘Jewish prob
lem.’ He would reestablish the
Sanhedrin, the only body empow
ered to redefine points of dispute
in Jewish religious law.
In reestablishing his ‘Grand San
hedrin,’ Napoleon called forth this
time 111 deputies from the Jewish
communities, most of them rabbis.
The delegates to the Grand Sanhe
drin were not sure themselves what
‘House Party” — Sunday 5:00 P. M.
‘Date with Drue” — Daily 10:00 A. M.
“Party Line” — Daily 2:00 P. M.
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