Les élites politiques juives et la franc-maçonnerie dans la France du XIXe siècle

Abstract

The tolerance shown by Masonic lodges, especially in the countries of Roman tradition, very soon enabled members of the Jewish elite to enter Christian society. Of the most notable personalities of the French Jewish establishment to be admitted was Adolphe Crémieux. He personifies the ideological convergence between Masonic Universalism and the Republicanism of the Alliance israélite universelle, an organisation which he helped to create. Aside from Crémieux, other Jewish political personalities also played an important part in French Freemasonry. For various reasons, mostly due to a lack of knowledge regarding available Masonic archives, the historiography of French Judaism has not explored this fact. This article opens up new areas of research concerning this subject. © Les Belles letters.