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| The '''Damascus affair''' was an accusation of ] and ] in ] in ]. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==Incident and arrests== | |||
| ⚫ | The affair attained wide international attention. In a groundbreaking effort, fifteen thousand American Jews protested in six American cities on behalf of their Syrian brethren. The United States consul in ] expressed official protest by the order of President ]. Sir ], backed by Western influentials |
||
| ⚫ | On ], ], ] ] Father Thomas and his Greek servant were reported missing, never to be seen again. The ] governor and French consul believed accusations of ritual murder and blood libel, as the murder occurred before Jewish ]. A fake investigation was staged, and Solomon Negrin, a Jewish barber, ] and accused other Jews. Two others died under torture, and one converted to ] to escape the torture. More arrests and atrocities followed, culminating in sixty-three Jewish children being held ] and mob attacks on Jewish communities throughout the ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Negotiations in ] continued from ] to ] and secured the unconditional release and recognition of innocence of the nine prisoners still remaining alive (out of thirteen). Later in ], Montefiore persuaded Sultan ] to issue a ] (edict) halting the spread of blood libel accusations in the ]: | ||
| ==Protests and negotiations== | |||
| ⚫ | The affair attained wide international attention. In a groundbreaking effort, fifteen thousand American Jews protested in six American cities on behalf of their Syrian brethren. The United States consul in ] expressed official protest by the order of President ]. Sir ], backed by Western influentials such as British ], the French lawyer ], Austrian consul Merlatto, missionary John Nicolayson, and Solomon Munk, among others, led a delegation to the ruler of ], ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Negotiations in ] continued from ] to ] and secured the unconditional release and recognition of innocence of the nine prisoners still remaining alive (out of thirteen). Later in ], Montefiore persuaded Sultan ] to issue a ] (edict) halting the spread of blood libel accusations in the ]: | ||
| <blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
| "... and for the love we bear to our subjects, we cannot permit the Jewish nation, whose innocence for the crime alleged against them is evident, to be worried and tormented as a consequence of accusations which have not the least foundation in truth...". | "... and for the love we bear to our subjects, we cannot permit the Jewish nation, whose innocence for the crime alleged against them is evident, to be worried and tormented as a consequence of accusations which have not the least foundation in truth...". | ||
| </blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
| ==Influence== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| According to ], | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| ...the real impact of the Damascus affair ... lay in Europe, where it led to a formidable backlash against Jews, the greatest in years. Jews found themselves completely unprepared for the tribulations they suffered but learned from this tragedy to organize and lobby, and from that came the first stirrings of modern Jewish solidarity, the basis of the formidable institutions that followed.<ref> by Daniel Pipes. Middle East Quarterly. September 1998</ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| The Damascus affair prompted French Jews to establish the ] in 1860. | |||
| The 1840 accusations re-emerged in a recent book by a ]n official, ''The Damascus Blood Libel (1840) as Told by Syria's Minister of Defense, Mustafa Tlass''. <ref> (MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 99) June 27, 2002</ref> | |||
| ===Fiction=== | |||
| ⚫ | A fictional ] retelling of the Damascus Affair by the Israeli novelist ], emphasizing the contribution of Jews themselves to the false accusations, and claiming that Father Thomas died from a heart attack during intercourse with a Jewish young man, was published recently in ] under the title ''Death of a Monk''. | ||
| ==References== | |||
| <div class= | |||
| "references-small"> | |||
| <references/></div> | |||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 23:37, 21 August 2006
The Damascus affair was an accusation of ritual murder and blood libel against Jews in Damascus in 1840.
Incident and arrests
On February 5, 1840, Franciscan Capuchin friar Father Thomas and his Greek servant were reported missing, never to be seen again. The Turkish governor and French consul believed accusations of ritual murder and blood libel, as the murder occurred before Jewish Passover. A fake investigation was staged, and Solomon Negrin, a Jewish barber, confessed under torture and accused other Jews. Two others died under torture, and one converted to Islam to escape the torture. More arrests and atrocities followed, culminating in sixty-three Jewish children being held hostage and mob attacks on Jewish communities throughout the Middle East.
Protests and negotiations
The affair attained wide international attention. In a groundbreaking effort, fifteen thousand American Jews protested in six American cities on behalf of their Syrian brethren. The United States consul in Egypt expressed official protest by the order of President Martin Van Buren. Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, backed by Western influentials such as British Lord Palmerston, the French lawyer Adolphe Crémieux, Austrian consul Merlatto, missionary John Nicolayson, and Solomon Munk, among others, led a delegation to the ruler of Syria, Mehemet Ali.
Negotiations in Alexandria continued from August 4 to August 28 and secured the unconditional release and recognition of innocence of the nine prisoners still remaining alive (out of thirteen). Later in Constantinople, Montefiore persuaded Sultan Abdülmecid to issue a firman (edict) halting the spread of blood libel accusations in the Ottoman Empire:
"... and for the love we bear to our subjects, we cannot permit the Jewish nation, whose innocence for the crime alleged against them is evident, to be worried and tormented as a consequence of accusations which have not the least foundation in truth...".
Influence
According to Daniel Pipes,
...the real impact of the Damascus affair ... lay in Europe, where it led to a formidable backlash against Jews, the greatest in years. Jews found themselves completely unprepared for the tribulations they suffered but learned from this tragedy to organize and lobby, and from that came the first stirrings of modern Jewish solidarity, the basis of the formidable institutions that followed.
The Damascus affair prompted French Jews to establish the Alliance Israélite Universelle in 1860.
The 1840 accusations re-emerged in a recent book by a Syrian official, The Damascus Blood Libel (1840) as Told by Syria's Minister of Defense, Mustafa Tlass.
Fiction
A fictional gay retelling of the Damascus Affair by the Israeli novelist Alon Hilu, emphasizing the contribution of Jews themselves to the false accusations, and claiming that Father Thomas died from a heart attack during intercourse with a Jewish young man, was published recently in Hebrew under the title Death of a Monk.
References
- Book Reviews by Daniel Pipes. Middle East Quarterly. September 1998
- The Damascus Blood Libel (1840) as Told by Syria's Minister of Defense, Mustafa Tlass (MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 99) June 27, 2002