March 17, 1808 – Adar 18 5568
Paris
The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was generally known for his sympathetic attitude toward the Jews, expressed in his emancipation in his country under his rule and the establishment of the Sanhedrin, which was intended to serve as an official religious leadership for all Jews. It is less known that in 1808, at the height of his greatness, Napoleon issued a decree that retrieved many of the rights that the Jews had received previously. The edict, known as the d’ecret infame (the notarious decree), also limited the commercial and residential rights of Jews – just as in the dark days of the Middle Ages, which had long since ended.