Blog questions for october 9th

What was the mission of the Alliance Israélite Universelle for Jews living in North Africa and the Middle east?

Within the western world, Jews were degraded in society. They were considered unintelligent and lacked the sophisticated thought to become emancipated. Though social stigma had set them back in society, they had never been physically attacked until 1840. Within this time, eight Jews had been wrongly accused of killing a Capuchin monk in Damascus. Christian Arabs claimed that they had used his blood for religious rituals and were later imprisoned. Noting what was happening in Damascus, the Jews of France took immediate action and ran to the aid of their Jewish counter parts who were prosecuted. The Damascus blood Libel became the catalyst to form the Alliance Israélite Universelle. The institution was founded in Paris on 1860 and aimed to continue Haskalah (Jewish enlightenment). The school focused on European ideology and its advancement. The Alliance firmly believed that their traditional Jewish faith would prosper through adaptive modernization. “ The goal was not simply to teach French and other foreign languages or give students a trade in which to work. Rather it was to remake students into modern citizens of the countries in which they lived with a decidedly pro-European and rational outlook.”  Essentially the French aimed to bring western civilization to communities that would otherwise not have refined citizens and bring a level of job independence for the future of their children.

How did the Introduction of girls' and women's education in the schools of the Alliance Israélite Universelle change the lives of Jewish women living in the Ottoman Empire?

Before women had received formal religious education in the late 19^th century, most women were illiterate and lacked the religious training their husbands had received in Torah school. A women’s life within the Ottoman Empire, “…was oriented toward domestic, private, and family space…” Essentially, their knowledge of Judaism extended to only domestic tasks. Women mainly focused on maintaining “a proper Jewish home and raising children”. They became the focal point in Jewish households. In order to bestow the religious knowledge and traditions upon their children, women “…were expected quietly to create the atmosphere that would enable their men folk to reach their religious summit”. If you were fortunate enough to have a rabbi as a father, women were able to absorb some religious knowledge. These women were the exception to the rule. The notion that women were centered in their families and communities raised male sterotypes that women were considered “religious ignoramuses”; however, this“…began to change as the opportunities grew for women to acquire knowledge”. When the Alliance Israélite Universelle was established, “The alliance changed women’s culture almost instantaneously.” This institution saw women education as a climax “to transforming the Ottoman Jewish family”. This was because women had an immediate impact on future generations; “…women went from being transmitter of tradition to advocates of change.” Never before did a women’s future look so promising. They were finally able to expand their minds beyond domestic tasks and enter the public realm more so than ever before. Because of their education, women were able to further their independence. After their schooling some women became teachers for the Alliance and some even entered the job force.