The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit and Temple Israel invite the community to hear Constantine banned Jews from Jerusalem, from converting others to their faith and from congregating for religious services. Conversely, his nephew Julian rescinded Constantine's bans, freed the Jews from unfair taxes imposed by the former emperor Hadrian (76-138) and sought to rebuild the Temple. A still greater villain was Justinian the Great (483-565). His principle servitus Judaeorum (the servitude of the Jews) solidified Christian persecution of Jews, as he decreed, "Jews must never enjoy the fruits of office, but only its pain and penalties." Banned were perceived chal- lenges to the Christian faith such as the Mishna, Torah readings and the celebra- tion of Passover when it preceded Easter. Also, Justinian raised religious law to the level of state law, making the enforce- ment of anti-Jewish laws the responsibil- ity of civil and religious authorities. Charlemagne (742-814), king of the Franks and emperor of the West, restored Rome's fallen empire in Western Europe. Jews prospered under his reign. He loosened restrictions on - them to some degree, giving them greater opportunity, greater prosperity, and greater taxation in the process. In turn, Jews, with their ties to brethren in the Islamic world, proved an invaluable channel to the fabulous East — and its spices, fine fabrics and gems. Thomas Aquinas (125- 1274), who became a saint and whose synthe- sis of Catholic theology, Summa Theologica, is one of history's more influential works, decried the murder of Jews. Instead, he held the view that they should be allowed to witness the "truth" of Christianity. He felt friendly, rather than lethal, persuasion was the best course for the conversion of Jews. Many of Martin Luther's (1483-1546) ideas for reforming the Catholic Church were made with the hope of enticing Jews to convert. His initial friendly disposition toward Jews quickly grew rancorous when he realized the Jews still stub- bornly clung to their faith, and he called for the destruction of their syn- agogues and homes. Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1496-1566), like his pre- decessors Bayazid II and Selim I, and his own son Selim II, welcomed and encouraged a Jewish pres- ence in Turkey. Jews fueled commerce, engaged in manufacture and taught Turks the workings of can- non and gunpowder. At court, Jewish physicians were in great demand. Peter the Great (1672- 1725) gets credit for turning Russia from a backward, isolated state into a modern power, but in 1698, he set forth his position on Jewish participation in the new Russia: No Jew would be allowed to live there. Peter's attitude toward Jews remained constant: his 1702 mani- festo inviting artists to Russia exclud- ed Jews, and after annexing Baltic ter- ritory and parts of Ukraine ruled by Poland, ordered the Jewish traders liv- ing there to dispose of their wares wholesale — not retail. John Locke (1632- 1704) made his mark as a philosopher and politi- cal scientist, becoming a "beacon of the Enlightenment." Thomas Jefferson acknowledged his intellectual debt to Locke, describing him as one of the three greatest men in history. In his 1689 "Letter Concerning Tolerance," Locke wrote, "Neither Pagan, nor Jew, ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the commonwealth because of his religion." Locke's views opened the way for religious tolerance in the development of the New World. During the 14-years of the Napoleonic Era, the whims and edicts of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) touched every Jew in France and across each frontier where French troops marched. "They are cater- pillars, grasshoppers, who ravage the countryside," Napoleon said of the Jews. Although he is fondly remembered for convening the Grand Sanhedrin of Paris — the first in 18 centuries — it was basically a rubber stamp for his policies. Though Napoleon was good for Jews outside France — as French troops occupied towns, ghetto walls came tum- bling down — back in Paris, Napoleon's edicts struck a blow at freedom of move- ment and livelihood for France's Jews. 466't /C4ryn 7