Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 2.pdf/154

116 ;

Aries

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Armenia

116

head were six rabbis Moses, Tobias, Isaiah, Solomon, Abba Mari, and Nathan (see Benjamin of

These functionaries, called tection of the Jews. "conservators," exercised jurisdiction over the Jews

Tudela, "Travels,'' i. 5). They lived in a separate quarter of the town, and had their synagogue in RueNeuve (Noble de la Laugiere, "Abrege Chronologique de l'Histoire d' Aries," pp. 301, 312). Thenchief trade consisted in selling kermes, which is used in dry-salting. In 1315 Archbishop Michel de Moriere regulated the administration of the Jewish community of Aries. On every Feast of Tabernacles

and maintained order



the Jews had to elect three members, who were to administer the community. The elected members assumed the title of " rectors, " and they Rectors. were invested by the archbishop with full power. The rectors were responsible for their acts to the archbishop. The first rectors assigned by the archbishop himself were Dnrantus (Durant), Salvetus (Salves), and Ferrerius (Ferrier). Trinquetaille, a suburb of Aries, also possessed quite an important community, which disappeared in 1300, when this suburb was united with the town. The counts of Provence gradually established

their

power

in Aries,

owing

to the incessant conflicts

between the archbishop and the Christian inhabitants of the city and the state of the Arlesian Jews accordingly changed. Thus Charles I. of Anjou offi;

deprived the archbishop Bertrand of Malferrat of his rights over the Jews (1276). This circumstance occasioned much suffering among the Jews for the clergy could now undisturbedly of Aries excite the fanaticism of the Christian inhabitants against them. Charles I. of Anjou, it is true, accorded to all his Jewish subjects every kind of protection and on one occasion energetically took their cially





part against the Dominican friars, who tried to introduce the Inquisition into Provence. But Charles' successor had not his energy, and the state of the Jews of Aries gradually grew worse. Thus Charles II. (1285-1309), incited by the clergy, issued ordinances, according to which the Jews were forbidden, on pain of a fine of two silver marks, to employ a Christian servant, to hold a public office, or to lay aside the distinguishing yellow badge. The first half of the fourteenth century was a relatively happy epoch for the Jews of Aries under the reign of Robert of Anjou, who The cherished kindly feeling toward them Fourteenth but the second half was just the reand verse. The presence of Joanna on the Fifteenth throne of Provence gave scope to the Centuries, enemies of the Jews, and the most odious restrictions were placed upon them. Jews could not, for instance, testify against a Christian nor were they allowed to visit the public baths on any day during the week but Friday, which was set aside for their exclusive use they



do work on Sundays; no Jew could embark for Alexandria, and only four could take passage by the same boat for any of the other

were forbidden

to

parts of the Levant. In 1344 the Jews of Aries had much to suffer from the riots following the blood accusation against Samson of Reylhane. Such riots were repeated every few years, and Louis III. (1417-1434) saw the necessity of appointing special officials for the pro-

In 1436 in the communities. attacked the Jews of Aries, and maltreated even the conservators. King Rene (1434-1480) suppressed the functions of these guardians; and by the ordinance of May 18, 1454, granted to the Jews the He, likewise, right to retain their ancient customs. authorized them to build a fortress in their quarter, in order to protect themselves from the attacks of the populace during Holy Week (Noble de la Lauthe

mob

giere,

ib.

With

p. 301).

the death of

King Rene (1434-1480) the Jews

lost their last protector.

On

the 13th of Nisan, 5244

(April 8, 1484), when Provence was annexed to France, a band of laborers from Dauphin, Auvergnois, and the mountain districts of Provence, driven by misery, attacked the Jews of Aries, ransacked their houses, killed several women, and compelled about fifty persons to embrace Christianity. These violent outbursts were repeated in the summer of

1485 (S. Kahn, in "Rev. Et. Juives," xxxix. 110). In 1488 the Jews were definitively expelled from Aries, to which place they never returned. Among the eminent persons associated with the town of Aries may be mentioned R. Moses (tenth century); Judah ben Moses of Aries Prominent (eleventh century) Judah ben Tobias (twelfth century); Abraham ben DaJews vid of Posquieres, called also Abraham in Aries, ibn Daud (twelfth century); Samuel



ben Judah ibn Tibbon, Mei'r and his son Kalonymus, Isaac ben Jacob Cohen, Gerson ben Solomon (thirteenth century); Levi ben Abraham, who took part in the religious controversy of 1303-1306; Joseph Kaspi, Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, Don Comprad of Aries, Kalonymus ben David ben Todros, Isaac ben Joseph Kimhi, Tanhum ben Moses (fourteenth century) Nathan ben Nehemia Kaspi, Isaac

Nathan ben Kalonymus ben Judah ben Solomon (fifteenth century).

The following physicians of Aries may also be mentioned Maestro Bendit, probably identical with Bendich Ahin, physician to Queen Joanna in 1369; Benedit du Canet, one of the physicians of Louis XI. Maestro Salves Vidal of Bourrin, and Asher ben Moses of the family Valabregue (1468).



Bibliography

Papon, Histoire Generate de Provence, I. ii. Depping, Les Juifs dans le Moyen Age, p. 108; Nostradamus, Histoire et Chronique de Provence, passim; Gross, In Monatsschrlft, 1878, 1880, 1882; idem, Gallia Judaica, pp. 73 et seq. Rev. Et. Juives, xl. 71 xli. 62, 154.

etseq.;





K.—I. Br. ARLI (ARLES), JOSEPH JUDAH, of Sienna. G.

S.

See Joseph of Arles.

ARLI, SAMUEL, OF MANTUA.

See

Sam

uel of Arles.

ARMAVIR

The old capital of Armenia, on the Mount Ahaghoz, said to have been founded by King Armais in 1980 B.C. Moses

southeastern slope of of Chorene

(fifth

century) has the tradition that

when King Vaharshak

settled in

Armavir (149

b.c),

he built a temple there and asked his favorite, the Jew Shambu Bagarat (Bagratuni), to give up his religion and worship idols. Shambu refused compliance. Moses also relates that when King Tigranes II. (90-36 b.c), in order to take revenge on Queen