A RARE FRENCH SILVER HAVDALAH COMPENDIUM, STRASBOURG, CIRCA 1825

Jews were prohibited from living in Strasbourg beginning in 1349, when they were falsely accused of poisoning the water wells and spreading the Plague. It wasn’t until the 18^th century when the merchant and philanthropist Herz Cerfbeer of Medelsheim became the first Jew permitted to live in Strasbourg. There were numerous Jews living in the Alsace region at this time, but they were barred from the cities, living in villages and ghettos, and were restricted professionally. Consequently, many Jews became moneylenders, one of the few vocations available to them. In 1775, Herz Cerfbeer was granted rights of citizenship by Louis XVI and soon built factories where he employed Jewish workers. The work served to protect them from antisemitism that became a biproduct of moneylending. Cerfbeer was instrumental in advancing the rights of the Jewish people within France.

The French Revolution brought new levels of tolerance to all religions, and Jews were fully emancipated by 1791. The Jewish community in Strasbourg grew rapidly, even as their acceptance took time. In 1806, Napoleon instituted the Grand Sanhedrin, a legal body of distinguished religious figures and laymen, in the model of ancient Israel’s Sanhedrin. This was led by the Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg, Joseph David Sinzheim. They invited Jewish communities throughout Europe with the intention of settling questions that would provide the basis for French laws regarding the Jewish people. Despite Napoleon’s efforts to create the Grand Sanhedrin, he grew more antagonistic towards the Jews as general anti-Semitism escalated. He constrained moneylending practices, suspended payments of debts owed to Jewish lenders, and issued decrees compelling Jews to assimilate. After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, these laws were abandoned and slowly tensions declined. In 1818, Judaism was recognized by the Monarchy and supported financially by the state as of 1831. Between this time and 1870s, Jews became integrated into Strasbourg society, which was largely tolerant.