Transactions of the Parisian Sanhedrim, or Acts of the Assembly of Israelitish Deputies of France and Italy, Convoked at Paris by an Imperial and Royal Decree, Dated May 30, 1806, Translated from the original published by Diogene Tama, with a pref. and illustrative notes by F.D. Kirwan. London: Charles Taylor, 1807.
On May 30 1806, in view of rising anti-Semitism in Alsace-Lorraine, Napoleon Bonaparte convened a group of wealthy Jewish persons, rabbis and public figures from France and Italy. Twelve questions were presented to the audience, meant to test the attitude of Jews towards the French nation, and, in particular, to examine whether a discrepancy exists between the Jewish religion and French law. The answers were satisfactory and expressed the Jews' will to blur their national identity and to emphasize their allegiance to France. Seeking to legalize the decisions taken by the convention, Napoleon ordered to convene the "Paris Sanhedrin" with the participation of rabbis and other Jewish figures. The Sanhedrin approved the convention's answers, supposedly providing it with Halakhic validation.
XVI, 334 pp, 21 cm. Good condition. Foxing. Damage to binding.