The turning point
Today is July 14, also known as Bastille Day. It is a national holiday in France marking the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an infamous prison at the time, on this day in 1789. To celebrate this important step in the French revolution I would like to recommend a bilingual (Hebrew, English) catalog of an exhibition from the Diaspora Museum in Tel-Aviv. The title of the book and the exhibition is, “The turning point, the Jews of France during the revolution and the Napoleonic Era.” This volume, heavily illustrated with prints, woodcuts, reproduction of documents and maps contains a ten page essay on the topic. Listing its subheadings will give you a picture of the tremendous progress in the status of Jews:
Before the revolution: Legalized Tolerance
The revolution: 1784:1789: A new approach to the relations between Christians and Jews
Towards emancipation
After 1791: Full citizenship
The Napoleonic era: Appearance of new communities across France
The Assembly of notables – 1806
The Paris Sanhedrin – 1807 (pictured)
The Decrees of 17th March, 1808
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