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La Ghriba Synagogue at Annaba, Algeria

Description

Mythic Origins of La Ghriba: La Ghriba is famous because of a “miraculous bible” from the 18th century. According to an old legend, a Moor from Annaba embarked on a pilgrimage to Mecca and to return home he embarked on a boat in Alexandria. On the boat, he met a Jewish passenger from Annaba who was returning from Jerusalem with a bible in a casket. While sailing, a storm hit and the boat perished with only the Moor surviving. Eventually, the Moor arrived in Annaba and told the story of the shipwreck. A few days later a Turkish sentry noticed a small chest being pushed to the shore and called some men for help. They were unsuccessful in reaching the box because every time they approached the box would disappear. This lasted for several days until the sentry remembered the Moor’s story. He then called on some Jewish men to retrieve the box and as soon as they approached it, it rapidly surged to them. The Moor was so impressed by this miracle that he erected La Ghriba to store the bible. 

Annaba: The name Annaba is derived from the Algerian name bled al- Aneb or the land of the jujubes³. Formerly known by the French as Bône the city was renamed after Algeria gained independence. In the 12th century B.C. Annaba was a Maghreb center for Phonecian settlement and was later part of the Roman Empire only gaining independence after the Punic Wars (246- 146 B.C.). In 431 Annaba was decimated by the Vandals only being rebuilt in the 7th century during the Arab conquest. Annaba became a French possession in 1832, two years after the French invaded Algeria. 

Jewish Presence in Annaba: Annaba has one of the oldest Jewish communities in Algeria dating back to the 1st Century C.E. In 1152 Roger of Sicily captured Annaba and during this time Jewish merchants established trade relations with merchants from Piza, who later set up a trading post. In the 18th and 19th centuries, when Annaba was part of the Ottoman Empire, Jewish economic influence increased through the powerful Bensamon and Bacri families.

 By 1830 most of the Jewish population in Annaba worked as craftsmen who specialized in making jewelry, cloth, and tailored goods⁵. These goods were sold in Jewish souks (markets) in and around the Jewish quarter. The mellah (Jewish quarter) in Annaba was located in between the main square and city walls. Known as the Sidi Abra or Houma la Yaoud ⁶, the mellah included La Ghriba and Jewish residences which were segregated from Muslim living quarters. 

In the late 18th century the Jewish population was described as being composed of “several families”⁷. The origins of these families prior to settling in Annaba are not entirely known. Some sources argue that the Jewish families in Annaba had origins in the Iberian peninsula and migrated at around the same time as the Moors⁸  but others claim there is no evidence to suggest Sephardi influence⁹. It is also argued that some of the families may have migrated from Leghorn, Italy because the two cities had engaged in commercial coral trading¹⁰. Between 1832-1842 the Jewish population in Annaba saw a significant rise due to migrants from Tunisia who numbered “several hundred” ¹¹. By World War II the Jewish population had risen to 3,000¹². Today, there are no Jews currently living in Annaba, the remaining Jewish population left between 1964-65 having migrated to Israel and France. 

Annaba, Algeria

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