NAPOLEON AND THE JEWS


Ben Weider
President, International Napoleonic Society

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One of the many contributions that Napoleon has made, and perhaps his most important and lasting one, was his Civil Code. This was written at a lime in history when discrimination was rampant. Il was then that Napoleon decided to liberate and offer Liberty, Equality and Fraternity to Jews, Protestants and Freemasons. He also opened the churches that were closed for years.

The Civil Code of 1804 was to grant religious freedom to alI of them. At the lime, there were about 480,000 Calvinists and 200,000 Lutherans living in France.

In 1804, Napoleon arranged for the public regulation of the Protestant communilies and then decided that the State would assume the responsibility for the salaries of their pastors.
Now, how did Napoleon's involvement with the Jews come about ? Il started on the 9th of February 1797. When Napoleon occupied Ancona, a strange thing happened. He was amazed when he saw some people wearing yellow bonnets and arm bands on which was the "Star of David". He asked some of his officers why these people were wearing the bonnet and arm bands and what was ils purpose.

When he was told they were Jews and they had to be identified so they could return to the ghetto in the evening, he immedialely gave an order that they should relilove the yellow bonnet and armbands. He then authorized the closing of the ghetto and allowed the Jews, to live wherever they wanted, and to practice their religion openly.

WHY DID NAPOLEON DO THIS ?

Here is yet another incident of interest. On the 12th of June 1798 when the French occupied Malta, he learned that the Jews were not permitted to practice their religion in a synagogue. He immedialely gave them permission to build a synagogue.

AGAIN I ASK - WHY DID NAPOLEON DO THIS ?

Now here is an amazing incident that is not generalIy known. When the French troops were in Palestine, and besieging the city of Acre, Napoleon had already prepared a Proclamation making Palestine an independent Jewish state. He felt confident that he could occupy Acre and the folIowing days he would enter Jerusalem and from Jerusalem he would issue his proclamation. He was unable to realize this project because of the intervention of the British.

	Letter to the Jewish Nation from the French Commander-in-Chief Buonaparte (translated from the Original, 1799) General Headquarters, Jerusalem 1st Floreal, April 20th, 1799, in the year of 7 of the French Republic BUONAPARTE, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMIES OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC IN AFRICA AND ASIA, TO THE RIGHTFUL HEIRS OF PALESTINE. Israelites, unique nation, whom, in thousands of years, lust of conquest and tyranny have been able to be deprived of their ancestral lands, but not of name and national existence ! Attentive and impartial observers of the destinies of nations, even though not endowed with the gifts of seers like Isaiah and Joel, have long since also felt what these, with beautiful and uplifting faith, have foretold when they saw the approaching destruction of their kingdom and fatherland: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35,10) Arise then, with gladness, ye exiled ! A war unexampled In the annals of history, waged in self-defense by a nation whose hereditary lands were regarded by its enemies as plunder to be divided, arbitrarily and at their convenience, by a stroke of the pen of Cabinets, avenges its own shame and the shame of the remotest nations, long forgotten under the yoke of slavery, and also, the almost two-thousand-year-old ignominy put upon you; and, while time and circumstances would seem to be least favourable to a restatement of your claims or even to their expression ,and indeed to be compelling their complet abandonment, it offers to you at this very time, and contrary to all expectations, Israel's patrimony ! The young army with which Providence has sent me hither, let by justice and accompanied by victory, has made Jerusalem my head-quarters and will, within a few days, transfer them to Damascus, a proximity which is no longer terrifying to David's city. Rightful heirs of Palestine ! The great nation which does not trade in men and countries as did those which sold your ancestors unto all people (Joel,4,6) herewith calls on you not indeed to conquer your patrimony ;nay, only to take over that which has been conquered and, with that nation's warranty and support, to remain master of it to maintain it against all comers. Arise ! Show that the former overwhelming might of your oppressors has but repressed the courage of the descendants of those heroes who alliance of brothers would have done honour even to Sparta and Rome (Maccabees 12, 15) but that the two thousand years of treatment as slaves have not succeeded in stifling it. Hasten !, Now is the moment, which may not return for thousands of years, to claim the restoration of civic rights among the population of the universe which had been shamefully withheld from you for thousands of years, your political existence as a nation among the nations, and the unlimited natural right to worship Jehovah in accordance with your faith, publicly and most probably forever (JoeI 4,20). .

This proclamation was printed and dated the 20th of April 1799, but his unsuccessful attempt to capture Acre prevented il from being issued. The Jews had to wait about 150 years before their state was proclaimed.

WHY DID NAPOLEON DO THIS ?

Il just doesn't make sense, because he had nothing political to gain. However, the answer could be discovered in a private conversation that Napoleon had with Dr. Barry O'Meara, which look place on the Island of St. Helena. On the 10th of November 1816, Dr. O'Meara (who was Napoleon's personal physician at the lime) asked the Emperor point blank as to why he was encouraging and supporting the Jews. The Emperor Napoleon replied, and I quote, "My primary desire was to liberate the Jews and make them full cilizens. I wanted to confer upon them aIl the legal rights of equality, liberty and fraternity as was enjoyed by the Calholics and Protestants. It is my wish that the Jews be trealed like brothers as if we were aIl part of Judaism. As an added benefit, I thought that this would bring to France many riches because the Jews are numerous and they would come in large numbers to our country where they would enjoy more privileges than in any other nation. Without the events of 1814, most of the Jews of Europe would have come to France where equality, fraternity and liberty awaited them and where they can serve the country like everyone else."

During the different periods of Napoleon's career, his sympathy for the Jews was clearly noted. He did everything he could to assure that the Jews were treated on an equal basis as Catholics and Protestants.

The French Revolution in 1789 was to change alI the various restrictions that Jews had to face in France. It was on the 27th of September 1791 that France adopted a decree, which accorded the Jews of France full citizenship. However, the Legislative Assembly, did not take any specific measures to apply this new freedom that was granted to the Jews. The National Convention closed the synagogues, forbid the use of the Hebrew language and in general made their lives difficult.

Under the Directory, the synagogues were open again and Jews got involved in business and in political life. But, in general, the Jews were barely tolerated. Before Napoleon took over the leadership of the French government, the political situation of the Jews was precarious, unstable, and had to submit to negative laws, and according to specific regions of France, they were some times treated in a liberal manner and some times in a tyrannical manner.

Napoleon was the only government leader that gave Jews equality when most other nations kept them in bondage. When strong opposition in France manifested itself, Napoleon stood firm in his support of Jewish equality. When Napoleon came to power, he did not liberate the Jews for political reasons because there were not much more than 40,000 in alI of France, who were living in various provinces.

The province where Jews were most persecuted was Alsace, where half of the Jewish population of France was living. In Paris, there were approximately 1,000 Jews. They were excluded from doing business, excluded from government positions and from the purchase of property.

The new law dated the 8th of April 1802 , which dealt with the organization of various religions, the principle leader of this law was Jean-Etienne Portalis who said: "Jews should participate as equals, like alI other religions as permitted by our laws."

Although there was tremendous opposition by the anti-Semites, Isaac Cerf-Berr, one of the leading Jewish citizens, presented to Minister of Religion Portalis a specific plan that would en sure Jewish integration into the population. The plan was brought to Napoleon at his camp in Boulogne in 1805. He approved the plan and instructed Portalis to implement it as quickly as possible.

It was in 1806, after the Austerlitz campaign, that Napoleon aggressively supported total liberty for the Jews. Notwithstanding this, the French newspaper, the Mercure de France, published a violently anti-Semitic article stating that the Jews could have freedom in France provided they alI converted and became Catholics.

Great opposition to Napoleon's plan to make equal citizens out of the Jews living in France was led by Molé, Beugnot, Segur, and Regnier. Notwithstanding this heavy opposition, including anti-Semitism generated by numerous newspapers, Napoleon was quoted as saying, "This is not the way to solve the Jewish question. I will never accept any proposaIs that will obligate the Jewish people to leave France, because to me the Jews are the same as any other citizen in our country. It takes weakness to chase them out of the country, but it takes strength to assimilate them."

The decree issued on 30th of May 1806 requested that a special assembly of Jewish leaders and Rabbis from alI of the different French departments, would meet in Paris and discuss alI outstanding matters including answering questions dealing with accusations against the Jews made by the anti-Semites.

On the 23rd of July 1806, alI of these representatives met in Paris. During this time Napoleon stated: "My desire is to make Jews equal citizens in France, have a conciliation between their religion and their responsibilities in becoming French, and to answer alI the accusations made against them. I want all people living in France to be equal citizens and benefit from our laws."

One hundred eleven representatives of the Jewish community, representing all the various departments of France and Northern Italy met at the City Hall situated at St. Jean on rue des Piliers. Napoleon had requested answers to accusations made against the Jews so he could understand their position clearly. The reunion of so many Jews from the different parts of France represented the renewal of the famous "Sanhedrin" which ruled Israel from 106 to 170 before Jesus Christ.

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