History

Discussions agitated the French revolution in the winter of 1789 when it was decided to examine the case of the Jews. The question that preoccupied the Assembly was simple: could Jews be citizens like any others? “Yes!” replied Clermont-Tonnerre and Abbé Grégoire. Not yet,” said the Prince de Broglie, “but never,” said Monseigneur de la Touraine. Never,” affirmed Monseigneur de la Fare…

A marginal or minimal problem for some, a barbaric custom that should be modernized for others, ritual slaughter is one of the pillars of Jewish life. Requiring the stunning of animals prior to killing is not contrary to the law, the European Court of Justice concluded in a recent ruling. Is ritual slaughter compatible with Europe? David Haziza asks this question in an essay published by K. in two parts.

On April 19, Jean Claude Kuperminc reviewed the books “Aux sources juives de l’histoire de France” by Mathias Dreyfuss and “Les juifs, une tache aveugle dans le récit national” co-edited by Claire Soussen and Paul Salmona. The latter responds to him and returns to the debate about the tension that is revealed between the history of the Jews in France and their place in the national narrative.

The question that two books, appearing by happenstance at the same time, raise is both simple and complex. What position do Jews hold in French history?[1] Must one see there…

Through Moses Mendelssohn, the greatest figure of the Haskala, the Jews ceased to be intruders and became distinguished guests. Today, as Europe seeks to reconnect with the Enlightenment, Mendelssohn may well become our contemporary again. He will return, however, in a different guise than the one he wore in the era of emancipation…

Did Eugene Lazowski save 8,000 Polish Jews during World War II? Or not? Barbara Necek looks back at the history of a historical fake news that has become a tenacious legend that has continued to captivate audiences.

Interview with Sergio Della Pergola, who has published an extensive demographic study on Europe’s Jews. Europe was for centuries home to the world’s largest Jewish population center, and the community’s presence on the Vieux Continent dates to Antiquity. Around 1880, they represented 90% of the world’s Jews. Today they represent only 9%.