Abraham Furtado

Abraham Furtado

Abraham Furtado (* 1756 in London , † January 29, 1817 in Bordeaux ) was a French politician. Furtado came from the Portuguese marran family . Since 1806 he has been a champion of the Jewish Notable Assembly convened by Napoleon for Jewish rights. At times he was deputy mayor of Bordeaux.

Life

Abraham Furtado's parents were Portuguese Marranos from Lisbon . The father was killed during the Lisbon earthquake in 1755 . The mother then went to London, where she openly confessed to Judaism. After the birth of her son, she moved first to Bayonne and then to Bordeaux, where Abraham attended school. After a brief activity as a businessman, he turned to trading in real estate. In his free time he dealt with scientific questions.

When Malesherbes set up a commission to work out proposals for improving the situation of the Jews in France, Fuentes was also appointed to this committee. Furtado, who was close to the Girondins , was expelled from France in 1793 and acquired. After the end of the reign of terror , he returned to France.

In 1806 Napoleon invited Jewish dignitaries and experts to Paris, including Furtado. He was elected President of this assembly, the "Assemblée des Notables". The congregation should find answers to the questions they were asked about the relationship between Jewish and state law, each based on principles of Halacha and the Bible . Abraham Furtado was spokesman for the Sanhedrin , which was constituted on February 9, 1807 . When the Sanhedrin was abruptly disbanded, the assembly of notables convened again and Furtado acted as secretary. In 1814, after Napoleon's disempowerment, he joined the royalists and refused office during the Hundred Days . 1815 set him Louis XVIII. a chamberlain in Bordeaux.

See also

• David Sinzheim

Web links

• FURTADO, ABRAHAM. In: Isidore Singer (Ed.): Jewish Encyclopedia . Funk and Wagnalls, New York 1901-1906.