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Cemetery at Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria

Sidi Bel Abbès is located in northwestern Algeria, along the Mekerra River, in the center of the vast plain between Jebel Tessala in the north and the Daya Mountains in the south.1 Jews from Oran, Tlemcen, and Mascara began to settle there in 1851, and by 1868, Sidi Bel Abbès's Jewish population numbered about 800.2 The Jewish community grew to 2,941 in 1921, and about 3,200 in 1954. By the time of Algerian independence in 1962, however, a majority of the Jews from Sidi Bel Abbès settled in France, and Israel.3

Description

Sidi Bel Abbes: Initially the site of a French military outpost during the conquest of Algeria, the town of Sidi Bel-Abbès was established in 1849 and remained an important base for the Foreign Legion. It had a diverse economic profile, with modern professionals, including doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, insurance agents, traditional artisans, merchants, and employees of the civil service.4

Jewish Community: The Jewish community of Sidi Bel-Abbès was marked by friction between the Moroccan Jews, about one-third of its number, and the Algerian Jews.  Tensions between the Spanish-speaking Jews from Tetouan and the Arabic-speaking Jews led to divisions within the community: those from Tetouan built the Lasry and Sananes synagogues, while the Arabic-speakers built the vast Beddok synagogue as a mark of their importance.5 The children of the two groups received separate religious schooling—a classroom was reserved for the Tetouan children, while a rabbi who spoke Arabic taught the others. Eventually, however, the expansion of French language and culture diminished the internal clashes and helped unify the community.

Present Day: During the Algerian war (1954–1962), the situation deteriorated for the Jewish population, and artisans and tradesmen who dealt directly with Muslims were the victims of a boycott of Jewish goods. With Algerian independence in 1962, a majority of the Jews from Sidi Bel-Abbès settled in France, and a dozen families went to Israel.6

Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria

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