Naphtali Busnash
Encyclopedia
Naphtali Busnash was Chief of the Algeria
n Jews and statesman; born in Algiers
in the middle of the eighteenth century; assassinated June 28, 1805.
He was engaged — first alone, and later with the firm Bakri Brothers — in the grain trade, of which the Dey
Ḥasan, with whom Busnash was on friendly terms, granted him a monopoly. The firm of Bakri & Busnash soon attained a wide reputation, and Busnash became (according to some) the most influential man in Algeria. In 1800 he was appointed by the dey Mustapha—whom he had helped to attain to power—chief of the Algerian Jews, a post to which was attached the office of broker to the dey, and the consul-generalship of Ragusa
. In this position Busnash displayed so much ability that he won the entire confidence of the dey, who practically left the government in his hands. It was he who received the consuls and settled differences between Algeria and foreign countries. His power did not, however, last. The Janissaries and Muslim extremists reluctantly submitted to the domination of a Jew; but Busnash, after having escaped several attempts on his life, was at last shot dead by a janissary at the gate of the dey's palace.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n Jews and statesman; born in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
in the middle of the eighteenth century; assassinated June 28, 1805.
He was engaged — first alone, and later with the firm Bakri Brothers — in the grain trade, of which the Dey
Dey
Dey was the title given to the rulers of the Regency of Algiers and Tripoli under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 onwards...
Ḥasan, with whom Busnash was on friendly terms, granted him a monopoly. The firm of Bakri & Busnash soon attained a wide reputation, and Busnash became (according to some) the most influential man in Algeria. In 1800 he was appointed by the dey Mustapha—whom he had helped to attain to power—chief of the Algerian Jews, a post to which was attached the office of broker to the dey, and the consul-generalship of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
. In this position Busnash displayed so much ability that he won the entire confidence of the dey, who practically left the government in his hands. It was he who received the consuls and settled differences between Algeria and foreign countries. His power did not, however, last. The Janissaries and Muslim extremists reluctantly submitted to the domination of a Jew; but Busnash, after having escaped several attempts on his life, was at last shot dead by a janissary at the gate of the dey's palace.