Bulletin des Lois. Arrete qui détermine le mode de répartition des sommes destinées à la liquidation des Dettes passives des Juifs d’Alsace

(FRENCH JUDAICA).

Imprimerie du Dépôt des Lois

Paris

(1803)

[“On the Determination of the Mode of Repayment of Monies Distributed to Liquidate the Debts of the Jews of Alsace.”]

Szajkowski, Judaica-Napoleonica 158

The debt of the Jews of Metz is a recurrent theme in French legislation. From 1715 and on, the Jews of Metz were bound to pay an annual tax of 20,000 livres. Alhough this tax was abolished by the National Assembly on July 20th, 1790, this was by no means the end of the matter. The enormous amounts that the Jewish community were taxed, forced it to borrow money from Christians; in doing so, they became sizable collective debtors to Christian creditors. It was not until 1797 that a special commission appointed to report on the Jewish debts, favored nationalization of these obligations. See Z. Szajowski, Jews and the French Revolutions of 1789, 1830 and 1848 (1970) pp. 232-34.