Sept. 18, 1746

Expulsion of the Jews from the Kingdom of Sicily by King Charles Bourbon September 18, 1746 [Italy]: “… Those few Jews who came here without money, without capital, without credit, and not with any other quality, or talent for business other than their accustomed greed in enriching themselves by way of extraordinary instances of usury, and other illegitimate means, succeeded in becoming a strong obstacle to the growth of commerce, and an inconvenience, a burden and a scandal to our People. The experience of all this which we have had in the course of six years unbinds us from the obligation of every gracious promise… Their despicable behavior has always been the root of the instability of their fortune…a Nation that, too persistent in their superstitions, cannot long coexist without prejudice to human Society…A prudent council then requiring an apportioning of the provisions to the situation, in consideration of the notorious drawbacks derived from the pernicious residence of Jews to commerce, to the good order, to our most holy Religion, and to the peace and edification of the Citizens, we revoke and annul all the graces and privileges, immunities, and exemptions accorded to the Jewish Nation, ordering every and all Jews to leave our Kingdom in the space of nine months.”
Mario Stock, La rassegna mensile di Israel (The Monthly Review of Israel); “L’editto di espulsione degli ebrei dal Regno di Napoli (1510) e la loro breve riammissione nel Settecento” (“The edict of expulsion of the Jews from the Kingdom of Naples (1510) and their brief readmission in the sixteenth century”); Jstor.org; Accessed online; Researched and Translated by Michael De Sapio 7/6/2018