Napoleon might also have demanded decrees(takkanot) from a recognized rabbinic scholar or a representative assembly which would also have had the force of law. Both paths would have served his purpose. They would, however, have lacked the drama of a Sanhedrin and Napoleon had a flair for the dramatic as seen in so much else of his reign. The Emperor understood the longing of Jews for equal rights and their willingness to accommodate him; they also realized that there was little choice.
The careful preparation for the Assembly and Sanhedrin along with his proclamations and letters show that the Emperor ’s primary concern was the creation of an orderly French nation state He wished to eliminate the medieval corporate structure which included religious bodies and guilds, even the small Jewish minority. There was to be no “nation within a nation.” He sought to assimilate the community through intermarriage and by force if necessary though this was never tested. He wanted complete control of the communal structure and the Sanhedrin acceded to his wishes by accepting the“Organic Ordinance” which established a central Consistory and others under the Ministry of Cults. Through this mechanism the wishes of the Emperor were executed by the Jews themselves, the role of the rabbi was circumscribed, and the Jewish population was carefully watched.” He was concerned with recruiting Jewish soldiers both in France (where they had to serve anyhow) or in newly conquered territories, but as their numbers were small this was ancillary.” The involvement of the consistories in that effort led to a minor increase in the number of Jewish recruits.’ Napoleon may also have thought that his efforts might attract the support of Jews in Central and Eastern Europe This was Metternich ’s view who felt that the Jewish population was only one of many that might be aroused by Napoleon ’s promises of freedom and civil rights.”” That did not occur as Napoleon did not remain in those lands. The Jewish leadership of Eastern Europe that had faced intellectual battles with the followers of Mendelssohn , certainly opposed any change in status. Some Jews along Napoleon 's line of