course, note that this appeal to Jewish proto-nationalism was limited to Palestine, as he later sought to destroy Jewish nationalism when he eliminated the Jewish corporate community.
Napoleon , of course courted Muslims, respected Muslim law and customs and often dressed in the garb of an Egyptian ruler. He also looked after the Coptic community by giving them equal rights. For Egyptian Jews he reorganized the ancient Cairo Jewish community and set up two high priests. At the same time, it was reported that he called upon the Jews of Asia and Africa to gather under his flag to re-establish an ancient Jewish state. Some Jews joined the native battalions that Napoleon organized in Egypt ."
Perhaps the Jewish mystique influenced him. Here was a people that had retained its bonds to the ancient Land of Israel and continued to do so against all odds. The two pamphlets and letters distributed while in Egypt and Palestine in 1799 express such feelings and an uncommon friendship to Jews ; the latter even with a Hebrew date. They certainly demonstrate Napoleon 's masterful political sense. We should note that the authenticity of these documents continues to be questioned,'® but even if they are forgeries, the rumors about them played a role in the Jewish perception of Napoleon . The letters read as follows: