Jacob
Libermann, who would later revitalise the faltering Spiritan
movement when he was elected superior general of the Congregation of
the Holy Ghost in 1848, was born in Saverne in 1802. He was the fifth
son of Lazarus Libermann, a rabbi in the Jewish ghetto there. Samson,
David, Henoch and Felix preceded him. Samuel, Esther, Isaac and Sarah
were to follow.
Ghetto Life
Jacob grew up in interesting times
for the French Jews. Lazarus and his wife Leah 
were
married in 1788. At that time the Jews in France and other European
countries lived segregated and separate lives. This was particularly
true in Alsace, where the Jews, unlike those in other regions of
France, were of Ashkenazi origin. The Alsatian Jews were very poor,
unskilled, uneducated in secular subjects. The Sephardic Jews of
Bordeaux and the Jews of Avignon had acquired a modicum of prosperity
and freedom but the condition of the Jews of Alsace was pitiful.
Their freedom was curtailed severely in every area of life. They were
forbidden to live in cities, they paid heavy taxes, they could not
engage in agriculture or any craft except that of goldsmith. They
could own no property except the houses they lived in. Most were
restricted to
petty trade, peddling and money
lending, an occupation forbidden to Catholics by Canon Law. The local
population was hostile and ghettos were often subject to attacks by
local mobs. It was not a very hopeful environment for Lazarus and
Leah to start a family. Ghetto living produced an inward looking
insecure society marked by a narrowness of outlook and a strong sense
of solidarity. The Alsatian Jews saw themselves as being in a
spiritual ghetto, keeping their faith in God in the midst of a
decadent Christian society.
The French Revolution
Little could they have foreseen
the changes the next few years would bring in the form of the French
Revolution. After the fall of the Bastille, the National Assembly
formulated "The Declaration of the Rights of Man" in 1789,
as the basis of the new political regime. In principle at least, the
Jews were liberated. But animosity to the Jews of Alsace prevented
this from happening at once. Since they spoke neither French nor
German but only Yiddish, they were perceived as foreign. Their
monopoly on money-lending made them hated by the debt-ridden
peasants. The new constitution of 1791 gave all French Jews full
civic rights. They were equal now by law with every other citizen.
But prejudice and resentment of the Jews did not disappear overnight
and persecution continued in the confusion of the "Reign of
Terror". It was during this period that Leah Libermann gave
birth to her first child, Samson.
The decade of terror, from 1790 to
1800, was difficult for orthodox Jews like the Libermann family. The
cult of reason and its apparent victory over religion made the right
of citizenship seem a doubtful privilege. But Lazarus Libermann
continued to serve his flock as rabbi and Leah continued to give
birth with regularity.
Napoleonic Era
Napoleon came to power in 1800 and
his first concern was to find a solution to the chaotic condition in
the Catholic Church. After thirteen months of negotiation he signed a
Concordat with Rome in 1801. Then he convened a Council of Jewish
notables in 1802. Despite his inability to speak or read French,
Lazarus Libermann was one of the three delegates from the large
Jewish community in Alsace. And it was in that year that his son
Jacob Libermann was born on April 12th.
The emancipation of the Jews was a
shattering experience for the poor uneducated Jews of Alsace. The
walls of the ghetto were falling down as trade restrictions were
abolished. Many of the Jewish people were ill-equipped to take their
place in a hostile Christian society. The Law of Moses was no longer
the only law in their lives. Public schooling, military service and
other systems of the outside world presented great challenges. Some
Jews eagerly embraced the new freedoms and rejected their previous
servitude. Some abandoned the Jewish faith as the power of the rabbi
in the ghetto became a thing of the past. However, many stubbornly
refused to accept the new culture, adhering even more strongly to the
traditional ways.
For Rabbi Lazarus Libermann there
was no question which branch of the road to follow. For him the Torah
and the Talmud were the only way of life for a member of the chosen
people. Fidelity demanded a constant fight against assimilation into
the Christian world, which he saw as the main purpose of the granting
of full rights of citizenship to the Jews. He hated to see the role
of the Rabbi diminished as judicial power was transferred to the
civil courts. As Inspector of the local Talmudic schools he realised
that the young were turning their backs on the Talmud and embracing
the philosophy of Liberté, Egalite, Fraternité. The
republican calendar threatened the observance of the Sabbath.
Obligatory military service introduced integrated living with
Christians and mixed marriages were becoming more common. Lazarus was
a man of deep faith, highly respected in the community. He guarded
himself carefully against integration, against the position of the
progressive Jews. He refused to learn the French Language and did not
permit his children to do so.
Jacob's Early Years
This was the family and the
environment in which Jacob spent his boyhood. The very conservative
orthodox stance of his father and the family's total isolation from
the Christian world meant that the heady philosophy of the revolution
never penetrated into Jacob's world.
When Lazarus' eldest son, Samson,
left home to pursue his rabbinical studies, he held in his hands the
fulfillment of his father's dream to have a son a rabbi. But outside
the closed family and community circle in Saverne, Samson soon
abandoned his rabbinical studies and took up the study of medicine.
By the time he qualified as a doctor he had become a "modern
Jew" a disciple of Rousseau and Voltaire. He no longer believed
in the religion of his father.
In the outside world, with which
Jacob had no contact, things were changing ever faster for the Jewish
community. Many young educated Jews like Samson became totally
assimilated into French society, excited by the outburst of academic
and artistic talent which marked the France of the Emperor Napoleon.
Many of them totally rejected their Jewish heritage in order to
facilitate assimilation into French society. Of these, quite a
number, including Samson and his wife, became Christian. Four of
Samson's brothers would follow the same path.
Lazarus supervised Jacob's formal
education and started him early in the local Talmudic school. He
learned to read and write in Hebrew and studied the books of the
Torah with such intensity that he could recite the text by heart. He
learned all the prayers which orthodox Jews said in the synagogue and
in private. He read the great commentaries of the Bible. And since he
was intending to become a rabbi he began a long period of
concentrated study of the Talmud. No other interests were allowed.
For eight years this study was Jacob's sole occupation.
The family was held together by
Leah who directed special attention and affection towards Jacob
because he was of delicate health. His childhood happiness suffered a
rude shock when his mother died in 1813. But Jacob remained faithful
to his heritage. In 1815, at the age of thirteen, his childhood ended
with the ceremony of Bar Mitzvah. The journey of his adult life had begun.
Spiritan Missionary News, Vol.
25 No.1, Feb. 2001
Welcome
to the site of the TransCanada Province of the Spiritans. We are a
Roman Catholic Religious Congregation of over three thousand members,
founded in 1703. Our missions are spread worldwide. While we may be
found involved in many diverse ministries, we have dedicated
ourselves to working with the poor and in those situations where the
Church has difficulty in finding ministers. We hope you enjoy your
visit to our site and that while browsing you will keep us in your
prayers. May God bless you.
