The history of Algerian Jews dates back to the time of the Phoenicians
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| The history of the Jews of Algeria dates back to the time of the Phoenicians |
The history of the Jews of Algeria dates back to the time of the Phoenicians
There are no accurate statistics on Jews still living in Algeria. Those who remained were completely dissolved in Algerian society. They exist but are not known and can not practice their religious rites. Their temples are closed and they can not disclose their religion in a Muslim-majority society for fear of harm.
"The number of Jews remaining in Algeria is between 500 and 1,000," said historian Ben Daoud Ahmed.
Old history of the Jews of Algeria
"Some historians try to deny the existence of the ancient Jews in Algeria, claiming that their existence is limited only to the stage of French colonization," said Attar Ahmed, in an interview with Rassif 22.
In fact, the presence of Jews in Algeria dates back to pre-Christmas. Some studies say that their presence in Algeria precedes the existence of the Romans. In his book "The Jewish Community of Algeria", historian Haim Saadoun notes that the first group of Jews arrived in North Africa with the advent of the Phoenicians in the middle of the eighth century BC.
The Jews of Algeria ... were an essential part of their country's history, but now some do not even know they were there
The history of the Jews of Algeria dates back to the time of the Phoenicians, but some historians deny their ancient existence
"Many historical sources confirm that the Jewish presence in Algeria dates back to the days of Phoenician civilization," said anthropologist Dali Youssef Sharif of Raseef 22.
The writer and researcher of Sufism and founder of the Euro-Mediterranean forum for interreligious dialogue Sari Ali ruled that after the fall of Andalusia fled many Jews and Muslims to the countries of North Africa, including Algeria and settled in.
But confirms that "before the arrival of the Jews fleeing from Andalusia, the Jews in Algeria have a presence back to two thousand years."
Islamic and Jewish cities
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| A Jewish temple in Algeria |
Hikmat points out that tens of thousands of Andalusian Jews settled in Algeria in a number of Algerian cities such as Tlemcen, Miskar, the capital, Constantine and other northern coastal states, but few went to the desert oases in southern Algeria.
"The presence of Jews in the desert region of Algeria was very little compared to those who were concentrated in coastal areas and plateaus," said tour guide Mohamed Abdel Wahab, who works in the state of Ouargla, southeast Algeria.
He continued: "Here in the city of Ouargla, some of them lived in an area called the Kasbah and also in Kerkat Jews and Arqla were educated, and had no problems with the Muslims .. They specialized in the gold trade and manufacturing, and this made them rich.
Algeria is known for its Jewish warlords, religious-based gatherings set up by Algerian Jews to preserve their privacy, and because of which some have accused them of isolation and isolation.
Among them were the Jews in Constantinople, who were assigned to them by El Pais in 1750 and the Jews in Magineh Oran, west of Algiers. They were built by the Bai Mohammed Ben Kebir, known in 1792, in addition to several lanes in the rest of the western regions such as Tlemcen, Mostaganem and Camp. We also find the lanes of Jews in Mizab and in the Kabylie region.
Trade the profession of the Jews
The Jews remained actively present in Algerian society until independence in 1962. They became famous for trade and emerged in the trade of gold, wool, wheat and leather.
Jewish influence emerged during the Ottoman rule when they managed to reach high political positions as advisers to kings. "The Jews lived at the time of Islamic expansion for the best time," said Atar Ahmed, who at that time considered the Jew better than the infidel because he was one of the people of the book.
"The Jews were famous for trade, especially the trade in gold, silver and textiles, and on their hands the weaving trade was a great success," Sari Ali Hikmat said. "They also became famous for sewing and specializing in agriculture, as well as for making sweets and exchanging recipes with Muslims."
Jews and musical heritage
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| Algerian Jew |
Algerian writer and journalist Fawzi Saadallah says in his book, "The Jews of Algeria, the Councils of Singing and Singing", that the Jews of Algeria were famous for singing Malouf, workmanship and Granati. He talks about the role of the Algerian Jewish community and its contribution to Algerian music heritage.
Hikmat points out that the Jews played an important role in Andalusian singing, especially as the Muslim families were preventing their children from singing, which left the space for them.
The book contains a collection of pictures showing Algerian Jewish artists during the occupation period, as well as the image of the Algerian born in the province of Constantine, eastern Algeria Enrico Macias, praying on the Wailing Wall in 1981.
Jews in colonial times
During the period of French colonization, the Jews of Algeria received a set of privileges granted to them by France. In 1870, they were granted French citizenship, benefiting 35,000 Algerian Jews. This decree exempted the Algerian Muslims for refusing to serve in the military, and the Jews of the area of Beni Mazab were excluded, as they were governed by another law.
The French colonial authorities made education compulsory and free for Jews only, which generated violent reactions from Muslims, and continued to put this decision aside. The writer, Sari Ali Hikmat, says that the subtlety of the French government is the cause of the division of Algerian society.
As a result of the circumstances that prevailed at the time, most Jews cut off their connection to Algerian society and took France's side in its war against it. Most of the Jews of Algeria stood against their separation from France. Many of them left their country after independence for fear of retaliation for standing by the occupier. They have left behind property and riches that they still demand.
Sari Ali Hikmat states that Algerian Jews responded to the November 1 statement, which invited them to join the liberation revolution by refusing to say they were French. But many of them were involved with other Algerians in the war against France.
Jewish immigration
The emigration of Algerian Jews to France and Palestine increased after the signing of the non-fire agreement in March 1962. This coincided with the international situation that characterized the Arab-Israeli conflict, which contributed greatly to inflame differences between Muslims and Jews in the Arab world in general.
Algerian Jews were looking at the future prospects of their country with some fear, mistrust and suspicion, especially after the assassination of the great sheikhs of the Moroccan sheikhs, Sheikh Raymond Lyres of Algeria (1912-1961) with a bullet in the neck while walking with his daughter Vivian in the market of Constantine known as the market of the age.
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| Sheikh Raymond Lyres |
This incident affected many Algerian Jews, and the majority of them agreed to leave.
After the number of Algerian Jews was about 25 thousand, the waves of migration followed, leaving in Algeria only about 90% of them in the early seventies of the last century.
The deterioration of security in Algeria, in the early 1990s, accelerated the departure of those who remained for fear of reprisals. Many Algerian social analysts say the 1990s have contributed significantly to the departure of many.
Others have fused into Algerian society and some have converted to Islam. "There are a lot of Jewish families that have changed their religion to Islam here in Tlemcen, and they are well known in the region," she said.
The result is that the number of Algerian Jews currently does not exceed 1,000.
Jews look to their motherland
Monica Tali is a Jew of Algerian origin and currently lives in France. In a conversation via Skype, she told Raseef 22: "My parents left Algeria in 1948. They had French citizenship."
"Her mother never felt that she was an Algerian, as she told me, and she and my father were subjected to racist attitudes in dealing with them in their daily lives, and many of my family left Algeria immediately after that.
"I never felt that Algeria was my mother country or even part of my past," said Algeria-born Enrico Macias, in his famous song, "Algeria is a lost piece of his life, even though my family is from the same city where he was born, Constantine."
Visit the mother country
Jewish visits to Algeria did not stop. "The Jewish visits to Algeria have not stopped, they come to visit their relatives who are buried here," said Sari Ali Hikmat. A large number of them continue to come to see their remaining families and possessions that they left before they went to France.
According to tour guide Mohamed Abdel Wahab, "To this day, the Jews of Algeria are visiting their country and receiving their Muslim friends who are here, and their children and grandchildren know each other."
"Our religion is a religion of tolerance and coexistence, how can Jews live with Muslims in antiquity and can not even disclose their religion?"
"Even the curricula bear part of the responsibility for the current Jewish reality," said writer and researcher Sari Ali Hekmat. "They do not mention that they are a piece of Algerian history."
