BERTOLIO, ABBÉ:
French cleric; member of the Commune of Paris in 1790. The National Assembly conferred citizenship upon the Jews of Bordeaux, Bayonne, and Avignon Jan. 28, 1790; but deferred granting it to those of Alsace and Lorraine. Hence, when the Jews of France petitioned the Assembly, Dec. 24, 1789, delegates from Paris appeared before the General Assembly of the Commune with the request that it pledge itself to support the petition of the Jews. On Jan. 30, 1790, the latter Assembly listened to the report of Abbé Bertolio, who, while favoring the Jews' request, proposed that the Assembly should take no steps in their behalf before consulting the districts and having obtained their approbation of the pledge requested. His proposition was adopted, and on Feb. 28 a deputation from the Commune, with the Abbé Mulot as spokesman and Bertolio as a member, appeared before the National Assembly, requesting it to extend to the Jews of Paris the decree giving citizenship to those Jews known as Portuguese, Spanish, and Avignonese. As is well known, this intervention of the Commune was not immediately effective.
