Jewish Social Studies

In early 1840, France was rocked by the news that, following the disappearance in Damascus of a Capuchin monk and his assistant, the Jews of that town had been accused of ritual murder. French political interests in the region meant that they took a great interest in the proceedings. Feeding this interest was an ongoing fascination with the Orient, including its Jewish population. The willingness of many French to believe that the Jews of Damascus were indeed guilty of ritual murder was fueled by depictions of Oriental Jews as rapacious or sensual. In France, Jews were conspicuously involved in trying to help their coreligionists in Damascus, and this led some commentators to question their loyalties. Orientalist stereotypes of Jews ultimately led to freer and more aggressive criticism of Jews in French society. The Damascus Affair provided the starting point for such criticism.