Arguments for the Emancipation of Jews within France
With the
founding of the modern democratic state, The National Assembly of France
brought Jews under the umbrella of “the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.” The
ideologies surrounding this foundation were based on the principals of equality
before the law. The National Assembly of France admittedly believed the Jews
had to be emancipated into their society in order to live up to their founding
principals. The French emperor Napoleon assembled a group of 112 Jewish
“notables” to confirm, “Judaism… does not undermine the civic morality and
responsibility expected of the Jew as citizen” (Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda
Reinharz 153). The Fourth Question posed to these men was, “In the eyes of Jews, are Frenchmen
considered as their brethren? Or are they considered as strangers?” In
response the notables state, “Respect and benevolence towards strangers are
enforced by Moses, not as an exhortation to the practice of social morality
only but as an obligation imposed by God himself.” Basically the laws of
Judaism are comparable the laws of the French state, therefore we will easily
assimilate into society. Even after the reign of Napoleon ended, marked by the
Congress of Vienna, the legal and economic and economic advancements created a
more liberal state. This allowed Jews to end up on the favorable side of
legislations. The fact that French law allowed Jews to be considered full
citizens correlates to the success and progression of the state.
On
page 157, Count Mole states, emancipation wouldn’t give Jews reason to complain
about injustice therefore creating an equal playing field for all citizens.
This allowed for economic and social prosperity due to the acceptance of Jews. Throughout
the enlightenment, Jews have time and time again proven their worth to society.
It is a major mistake to exclude a group of people from society based on their
religion, especially if those people can improve society as a whole.
- Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz. The Jew In the Modern World.3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP,
2011.
Question in favor of emancipation of the Jews:
ReplyDeleteWhat possible harm could the French Jews bring if they were so apparently loyal, both to France and to Judaism? I believe the fact that the French Jews took part in government, French schools, and French economy shows their devotion to France. At the same time, they were able to remain Jewish. Doesn't this prove their morality, as well as devotion and loyalty?
Question against emancipation of Jews:
On the flip side, I do believe it was hard to emancipate the Jews after all the antisemitism towards them, that was considered the "norm". Wasn't the French Rule worried about giving the Jews too much power, which was such a foreign and new idea to the Jews?
-Hannah Wolinsky