European countries doing business with the Ottoman Empire made agreements named "Capitulations" that gave their consuls the right to exercise jurisdiction over their respective citizens living in Ottoman territories, rather than having them subject to local Ottoman courts. The Capitulations agreements were first signed in 1535 by France and later many countries joined them. Often smaller cities (Naples, Venice) and nations appointed local merchants (often Jewish) as their Honorary Consuls. The Capitulations agreements were unilaterally abrogated on 8 September 1914 by the Ottoman Empire.
During the 18th to 20th centuries many Jews in the Middle East sought diverse nationalities and were granted passports issued by the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Iran and Panama without ever having lived in these countries.
When under the Décret Crémieux of 27 October 1870, French nationality was granted to all Jews living in Algeria, many French-educated families claimed French nationality.
Isaac Sapriel on a document dated May 26, 1876 claimed the birth of his father Mikhael Michel Sapriel (d. 1875 in Cairo), occured in Bône, Algeria and thus was abble to become a naturalized French national. Michel's birth place was most probably Cairo, as no Sapriel is said to ever lived in Algeria. The Sapriel surname (in its French pronunciation) only existed in Egypt and was most likely spelled SifreiEl, a Hebrew name which means "sefer torah."
Michel Sapriel (d. 1875) and his son Isaac Sapriel (1844-1910) obtained French citizenship. Many consular records document their correspondence with the French government, namely:
By: Thomas Helmer & many Sapriel descendants
July 2025
