History of the Jews in Arles

Last updated

Arles was a major Jewish center between the Roman times and the Renaissance. Due to its location between Spain and the rest of Europe, with its proximity to the Mediterranean coast, Arles became a comfortable and sometimes beneficial city for the many Jews who lived in it. During the Middle Ages, many notable Jews were active in Arles, which functioned as a Jewish philosophy and Arabic-Hebrew-Latin translation center, as it was one of the town known for its Hachmei Provence. [1]

Contents

No Jewish community was evident in Arles ever since, even though some evidences of former Jewish life can be seen around town and in the local museum. The Jewish community ceased to prosper towards the end of the 15th century, until they were expelled in around the 1490s after which they did not return. Jews were to be found in Arles in the 1960s, though no community was ever evident again.

view of Arles 2360.Blick vom Ufer der Rhone auf Arles-Provence.JPG
view of Arles

History

Roman Empire

According to a legend, Roman emperor Vespasian placed Jewish exiles after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem on three ships that were abandoned by their captains. One of the vessels reached Arles, while the other two got to Bordeaux and to Lyons. [2] This legend suggests the existence of Jews in Arles as early as the first century CE, yet the first document depicting Jewish life in Arles is due to 425 CE. On that year, emperor Valentinian III issued a decree addressed to the ecclesiastical bishops of the area, prohibiting local Jews of entering magistracy, possess Christian slaves or taking careers of arms. During the decline of the Roman Empire, Arles became an important Jewish political and religious center. [3]

the Amphiteatre in Arles 07-2010 FranceArlesArenes 07-2010.jpg
the Amphiteatre in Arles 07-2010

On 476, with the fall of the Roman empire, the city came under the rule of the Visigoths. The Jews of Arles lived relatively fine as long as the Visigoths maintained Arianism, which was later declared as heresy by the Vatican. In 508, when the city was under siege by the Franks and the Burgundians, the town Jews took part in the fight against them. After falling of Arles into the hands of Clovis I, the first king of Franks, the Jewish community of Arles, among other Arian Visigoths, accused bishop Caesarius of Arles of treason. The bishop's adherents, in response, accused a Jewish soldier of helping the Burgundians and the Franks getting inside the city by pointing a specific part of the wall easy for climbing. The soldier was sentenced to death while the bishop was acquitted. [3] Soon after, upon the rule of the Merovingian kingdom, local bishops all around southern France were encouraged by king Chilperic I himself to attempt conversion over Jews. Arles bishop Virgilius was highly keen to convert local Jews, and apparently did so by force, in objection to the Vatican stand, as shown on an Epistle sent to him by the Vatican:

"... many of the Jews settled in those parts have been brought to the font of baptism more by force than by preaching. Now, I consider the intention in such cases to be worthy of praise... But I fear lest this same intention, unless adequate enforcement from Holy Scripture accompany it, should either have no profitable result... For, when any one is brought to the font of baptism, not by the sweetness of preaching, but by compulsion, he returns to his former superstition, and dies the worse from having been born again. Let, therefore, your Fraternity stir up such men by frequent preaching..." [4]

Middle Ages

Under the rule of the Carolingian dynasty, starting on 638, life conditions of the Jewish communities in southern France improved. The Carlovingian princes protected the Jews from attacks of the clergy. At the beginning of the ninth century, the kingdom of Burgundy was establishment by Boso of Provence, with the support of the clergy and Pope John VIII. Shortly after, Boso passed his rights over the Jews of Arles to the local Archbishop named Rostang, as a gratitude for the clergy support of him. Boso's successors continued with this tradition. The clergy and the Archbishop of Arles laid heavy taxes upon the local Jews, and it may be claimed to be reason why during the Crusades the Jews of Arles were relatively safe, when other communities in southern France, not subjected directly to the local clergy, suffered severely from the attacks of the crusaders. A document attributed to the disposal of Archbishop Raymond (1142–57) mentions a Jewish cemetery at the montjuif, nowadays Griffeville quarter. A Hebrew inscription on a tombstone dates to this period found in the cemetery can be found today at the Musee d'art chretien. [5] Jews made an annual payment of 44 sols to the Archbishop for this property. [6]

Benjamin of Tudela visited Arles at the 12th century and reported 200 Jewish families and six rabbis living in a separate quarter of town. [7] The Archbishop of Arles appointed each year three Jewish representatives called Rectors, to maintain the connection between the Archbishop and the Jewish community which was under his direct rule, until 1276 when Charles I of Naples deprived the Archbishop of this privilege given to the Arles Archbishops several centuries before. This change caused a deterioration in the life of the Jewish community, since the clergy did not get taxes from them anymore and by that were free to ignite fanaticism among the Christian inhabitants of the town. [3] By that time Jews were already forced to wear the yellow marking on their chests.

Fourteenth and fifteenth centuries

The second half of the fourteenth century brought severe deterioration on the Jewish community of Arles, due to the reign of Joanna I of Naples, who promoted aggressively a restriction agenda towards Jews. Jews in Arles were not allowed testify as Christians, attend public baths, work on Sundays and other restrictions. Nevertheless, on that time the Jewish community had also established a Torah and Talmud school, a charitable organisation, a synagogue, and a ritual bathe. Documentation imply the occupation of many Jews in medicine, and some business initiatives such as a 1425 partnership of two Jews to manufacture soap. [6] Due to numerous mob attacks on the town Jews, the latter were given permission to build a defense fortress in their quarter for further attacks. The permit was given by king Rene of Anjou, who also gave the Jews permission to practice freely their own customs. [3] With the death of the king Provence was annexed to France (1484) and the attacks renewed shortly after, when a group of people came from outside Arles and killed several women, attacked houses and forcefully converted about fifty Jews into Christianity. In 1488 the Jews were deported out of the city, from which they had never returned. Those who chose conversion were allowed to stay. The synagogue was destroyed, and the final Jew left the city by September 1494. [6]

Sixteenth century and on

Jews passing Arles during the 17th century were forced to pay a crown impost. After several tryouts of Jews to return to the city, a Provence parliament decree 1775 ordered them to utterly leave. Similar decrees forbidding Jews to trade in Arles were issued in 1773 and 1775. After the French Revolution, some Jews from the Avignon area tried to resettle in Arles. Two centuries after, several Jews were living in the city during the 1960s, though no formal community was active. The Municipal Museum possessed a rich collection of Jewish ritual objects and Jewish documents. [6]

Prominent Jews active in Arles [8]

Hebrew translation of Maimonides made by Samuel ibn Tibbon Moreh Nevukhim.jpg
Hebrew translation of Maimonides made by Samuel ibn Tibbon

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arles</span> Subprefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France

Arles is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of Provence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narbonne</span> Subprefecture and commune in Occitanie, France

Narbonne is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies 849 km (528 mi) from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about 15 km (9 mi) from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was historically a prosperous port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish philosophy</span> Philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism

Jewish philosophy includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism. Until modern Haskalah and Jewish emancipation, Jewish philosophy was preoccupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism, thus organizing emergent ideas that are not necessarily Jewish into a uniquely Jewish scholastic framework and world-view. With their acceptance into modern society, Jews with secular educations embraced or developed entirely new philosophies to meet the demands of the world in which they now found themselves.

The golden age of Jewish culture in Spain, which coincided with the Middle Ages in Europe, was a period of Muslim rule during which, intermittently, Jews were generally accepted in society and Jewish religious, cultural, and economic life flourished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Marie Lustiger</span> French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church

Aron Jean-Marie Lustiger was a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. His life is depicted in the 2013 film Le métis de Dieu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vienne, Isère</span> Subprefecture of Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Vienne is a town in southeastern France, located 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Lyon, at the confluence of the Gère and the Rhône. It is the fourth largest-commune in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture alongside La Tour-du-Pin. Vienne was a major centre of the Roman Empire under the Latin name Vienna.

The history of Toulouse, in Occitania, southern France, traces back to ancient times. After Roman rule, the city was ruled by the Visigoths and Merovingian and Carolingian Franks. Capital of the County of Toulouse during the Middle Ages, today it is the capital of the Midi-Pyrénées region.

History of European Jews in the Middle Ages covers Jewish history in the period from the 5th to the 15th century. During the course of this period, the Jewish population gradually shifted from their homeland in the Levant to Europe, primarily Central Europe dominated by the Holy Roman Empire or Southern Europe dominated by the Iberian kingdoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhineland massacres</span> Pogroms of 1096

The Rhineland massacres, also known as the German Crusade of 1096 or Gzerot Tatnó, were a series of mass murders of Jews perpetrated by mobs of French and German Christians of the People's Crusade in the year 1096, or 4856 according to the Hebrew calendar. These massacres are often seen as the first in a sequence of antisemitic events in Europe which culminated in the Holocaust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apt, Vaucluse</span> Subprefecture and commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France

Apt is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Spain</span> Aspect of history

The history of the Jews in the current-day Spanish territory stretches back to Biblical times according to Jewish tradition, but the settlement of organised Jewish communities in the Iberian Peninsula possibly traces back to the times after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The earliest archaeological evidence of Hebrew presence in Iberia consists of a 2nd-century gravestone found in Mérida. From the late 6th century onward, following the Visigothic monarchs' conversion from Arianism to the Nicene Creed, conditions for Jews in Iberia considerably worsened.

This timeline of antisemitism chronicles events in the history of antisemitism, hostile actions or discrimination against Jews as members of a religious and/or ethnic group. It includes events in Jewish history and the history of antisemitic thought, actions which were undertaken in order to counter antisemitism or alleviate its effects, and events that affected the prevalence of antisemitism in later years. The history of antisemitism can be traced from ancient times to the present day.

Kalonymus ben Kalonymus ben Meir, also romanized as Qalonymos ben Qalonymos or Calonym ben Calonym, also known as Maestro Calo was a Jewish philosopher and translator from Hachmei Provence. Kalonymus studied philosophy and rabbinical literature at Salon-de-Provence under the direction of Abba Mari ben Eligdor and Moses ben Solomon of Beaucaire. Kalonymus also studied medicine, although Kalonymus never seemed to have practiced it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Speyer</span>

The history of the Jews in Speyer reaches back over 1,000 years. In the Middle Ages, the city of Speyer, Germany, was home to one of the most significant Jewish communities in the Holy Roman Empire. Its significance is attested to by the frequency of the Ashkenazi Jewish surname Shapiro/Shapira and its variants Szpira/Spiro/Speyer. After many ups and downs throughout history, the community was totally wiped out in 1940 during the Holocaust. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 Jews again settled in Speyer and a first assembly took place in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Provence</span> Aspect of history

The historic French province of Provence, located in the southeast corner of France between the Alps, the Mediterranean, the river Rhône and the upper reaches of the river Durance, was inhabited by Ligures beginning in Neolithic times; by the Celtic since about 900 BC, and by Greek colonists since about 600 BC. It was conquered by Rome at the end of the 2nd century BC. From 879 until 1486, it was a semi-independent state ruled by the Counts of Provence. In 1481, the title passed to Louis XI of France. In 1486 Provence was legally incorporated into France. Provence has been a part of France for over 400 years, but the people of Provence, particularly in the interior, have kept a cultural identity that persists to this day.

The Worms massacre was the murder of at least 800 Jews from Worms, Holy Roman Empire, at the hands of crusaders under Count Emicho in May 1096.

Catholic resistance to Nazi Germany was a component of German resistance to Nazism and of Resistance during World War II. The role of the Catholic Church during the Nazi years remains a matter of much contention. From the outset of Nazi rule in 1933, issues emerged which brought the church into conflict with the regime and persecution of the church led Pope Pius XI to denounce the policies of the Nazi Government in the 1937 papal encyclical Mit brennender Sorge. His successor Pius XII faced the war years and provided intelligence to the Allies. Catholics fought on both sides in World War II and neither the Catholic nor Protestant churches as institutions were prepared to openly oppose the Nazi State.

The history of the Jews in Ancona in Italy, began when Jews settled into the city in the first half of the 14th century, contributing to money-lending and other economic roles.

Rostang of Arles was Archbishop of Arles from 870 to 913. He supported the coup d'état of Boso of Provence against the Carolingians in 879.

Ithier, was Archbishop of Arles from before March 963 until 981.

References

  1. The Jews in Medieval Normandy: A Social and Intellectual History , p. 23, at Google Books
  2. "Siddur," Roedelheim, 1868, ed. Baer, p. 112
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Arles". Jewish Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  4. "NPNF-212. Leo the Great, Gregory the Great - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". Ccel.org. 2005-07-13. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  5. Jewish Inscriptions of Western Europe: Volume 1, Italy , p. 281, at Google Books
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Virtual Jewish World: Arles, France". Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  7. The Languages of the Jews: A Sociolinguistic History , p. 121, at Google Books
  8. "Arles". Jewish Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015.