Printed Proclamation to the Jewish Community, in Anticipation of the "Grand Sanhedrin" of Paris Established by ...

Printed Proclamation to the Jewish Community, in Anticipation of the "Grand Sanhedrin" of Paris Established by Napoleon - Paris, 1806 - Handwritten Signatures
Proclamation to the Jewish community, on behalf of the "Assembly of Jewish Notables who live in France and Italy", in preparation of the assembly of the Grand Sanhedrin. Paris, October 6, 1806. Hebrew and Italian, one column facing the other.
Printed proclamation, applying to "Our brethren Adat Jeshurun", published on behalf of the assembly of Jewish community notables in France and Italy to encourage participation in the "Grand Sanhedrin". Signed at the end by hand (in Latin letters) by the president of the assembly, Abraham Furtado, and by the secretaries of the assembly Isaac Samuel Avigdor (who signed also in Hebrew) and Isaac Rodrigues. Under the signature is the stamp of the assembly.
This proclamation speaks in extravagant terms of the importance of the Sanhedrin and of the greatness of Napoleon, its imperial protector.
On May 30 1806, following a wave of anti-Semitism in the area of Alsace-Lorraine, Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of France gathered an Assembly of Notables, rabbis and Jewish community leaders in France and in Italy, and presented them with 12 questions which were posed to assess their relations with the French empire and especially to see if Jewish law contradicts French laws. The answers he received expressed the connection of the Jewish people to the French state and satisfied Napoleon. Hence, he wished to convert the answers into decisions and make them the basis of the future status of the Jews. For this end, he convened another smaller assembly of rabbis and Jewish community notables which he called the Grand Sanhedrin of Paris. The Sanhedrin authorized the answers of the assembly, thereby allegedly giving them halachic authority.
Abraham Furtado (1756-1817), who signed the proclamation, was born in London and moved to France and earned his livelihood by selling land. He was elected president of the Assembly of Notables and later served as as speaker for the committee appointed to draw up the resolutions of the Sanhedrin. In 1815, he was elected as treasurer of the city of Bordeaux.
[4] pages (sheet folded in two), 36 cm. Good condition. Folding marks and other creases. Several stains and minor tears. The top half of the last page is slightly dark.