The Jewish Community of Sousse
Sousse
In Arabic: سوسة
A port town and fishing center, near the town of Kairouan, central Tunisia.
It would appear that Jews were already settled in the place before the Arab conquest in the 7th century. Until the capture of the town by the Almohads in 1159 (extreme religious Moslems whose rule extended over countries in North Africa to Southern Spain), the community flourished both economically and culturally. Many Jews were engaged in commerce and trades, the principal export of Tunisia – clothing - was largely controlled by the Jews of Sousse. The Almohads, who ruled from 1159, confronted the Jews with two alternatives - conversion or death - thereby causing the cultural, economic and spiritual collapse of the community. Many Jews converted, while others fled to other parts of the country or died as martyrs.
Under the Hafsid rule (1228-1534) Jews were permitted to return to the town. Many converts returned to Judaism. The majority lived in a special quarter known as "the Jewish quarter", and they renewed their economic activities.
In the 15th century the Jews of the town were linked spiritually with the Algerian rabbinate, among them Rabbi Isaac Ben Sheshet (the Ribash) and rabbi Simon Ben Zemah Duran.
In the 17th century Jews from the town of Livorno in Italy came to Sousse, where they were known as "Grana", from the Arab name for Leghorn - "Gorna". Despite the tension between the new and wealthy "Grana" community and the local "Touansa" (native) community, there was no separation between the two, until 1771 when "Grana" established a separate community with its own institutions. From 1899 there was a single chief rabbi for the whole of Tunisia, the first being rabbi Natan Abergil.
At this time the community consisted of about 100 families who numbered among them several Torah sages, such as rabbi Shlomo Ossuna, as well as famous dayanim.
The establishment of a government under a French protectorate in Tunisia in 1881 brought about the modernization and integration of French culture also among the Jewish communities. The "Alliance" organization (of the "Kol Yisrael Haverim" association), opened schools for boys and girls in the town, in which they studied French and general subjects besides the religious subjects.
In 1917 a Hebrew printing press was established in Sousse where scholarly works were printed; previously they had to be sent to Livorno for printing.
In 1916 the society "Terakhem Zion" was founded by leading and influential men in the community, among them David Tuviana and Sober Barness. Zionist activities in the town reached a peak after World War I, with the establishment of a youth orchestra and a women`s Zionist society which had a large membership.
In 1939 there were 3,741 Jews in Sousse.
The Holocaust Period
During the time of a Vichy government in France (from June 1940), discriminatory laws were imposed on the Jews of Tunisia, to which French Jews were already subject. Jews in public posts were dismissed, they were prevented from working in the free professions and many others were deprived of their livelihood.
In November 1942, Tunisia was taken over by the Germans, and the position of the Jews worsened. In Sousse Jewish homes were confiscated, and men aged 18 and over were conscripted for forced labor at the harbor which had been bombed by the allies. All the Jews were ordered to wear an identifying yellow stripe, and a heavy monetary fine was imposed on the community.
In April 1943, the withdrawal of the German forces saved the community from destruction.
After the war the Jews of Sousse renewed cultural and political activities. A census showed that between 1946 and 1951 the community increased from 4,415 to 6,400.
In 1956 Tunisia gained independence; the community dwindled and even the Hebrew printing press closed down. In 1966 only a few Jewish families remained in the town, with the majority having gone on Aliyah to Israel or emigrated to France.
Nicole Naim Recounts Her Childhood in Sousse, Tunisia, 2018
(Video)Nicole Naim was born in Sousse, Tunisia. Her mother, Fortuna nee Sarfati, was very dominant. She worked at the post office. When Nicole was 3 years old, during World War II, bombs fell near their home. Nicole's father was taken to forced labor. When he returned he was full of lice and all black, and the mother put the family on a cart and they began to wander among relatives. When they returned to the city of Sousse, Nicole dedicated herself to studies, qualified as a kindergarten teacher and ran a kindergarten for 40 Jews in Sousse.
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This testimony was produced as part of Seeing the Voices – the Israeli national project for the documentation of the heritage of Jews of Arab lands and Iran. The project was initiated by the Israeli Ministry for Social Equality, in cooperation with The Heritage Wing of the Israeli Ministry of Education, The Yad Ben Zvi Institute, and The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.
The Oster Visual Documentation Center, ANU - Museum of the Jewish People. The film was produced as part of the Seeing the Voices project, 2019
Georgette Hakoun Recounts Her Life in Sousse, Tunisia, 2018
(Video)Georgette Coca Hakoun nee Bitboul, grew up in the city of Sousse, Tunisia, and immigrated to Israel at a later age. She talks about her parents and the difficult relationship with them. Her father was of high status, a bank clerk, and quite often forbade her various activities. Georgette describes her life in Sousse near the sea and recounts the way they celebrated the holidays in Sousse and their relations with the neighbors. Also, she tells about the beginnings of her life n Israel, which was not easy, because in Tunisia she enjoyed a high social status and in Israel she had to work hard. She tells about her grandmother who lived with them at home, because she suffered from depression and needed their care.
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This testimony was produced as part of Seeing the Voices – the Israeli national project for the documentation of the heritage of Jews of Arab lands and Iran. The project was initiated by the Israeli Ministry for Social Equality, in cooperation with The Heritage Wing of the Israeli Ministry of Education, The Yad Ben Zvi Institute, and The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.
The Oster Visual Documentation Center, ANU - Museum of the Jewish People. The film was produced as part of the Seeing the Voices project, 2019
Leaders of the Tunis Community at the Synagogue in Sousse, Tunisia, 1960s
(Photos)(The Oster Visual Documentation Center, Beit Hatfutsot,
courtesy of Charles Haddad, France)
Monastir, Tunisia
(Place)Monastir
Monastire; Mistir; in Arabic: مـنسـتير
A small town on the coastal road between Sousse and Sfax, Tunisia.
There is no information available on the beginning of the Jewish community or of its history.
In 1946 the community numbered 124, out of a total population of about 8,000.
The majority of the Jews of Monastire went on aliyah to Israel, after the establishment of the state, and settled in the south.
Moknine
(Place)Moknine
In Arabic: المكنين
A small town, between Sousse and Mahdia, about 40 km south of Sousse, the Monastir Governorate on the eastern coast of Tunisia.
According to a tradition, Jews began to settle at Moknine in the 16th century. In 1550 Jews of nearby Mahdia, escaping from the conquering Spaniards, asked the Arabs of Moknine to give them shelter. The Arabs agreed to accept them and the refugees from Mahdia settled at Moknine and set up a community. At the middle of the 19th century about 100 Jewish families were living at Moknine.
In the course of the 19th century the Muslim authorities imposed heavy taxes on the Jews. The relationships between the Jews and the neighboring Arabs of Moknine were however friendly, but the Jews preferred to live in a quarter of their own. The central street in the Jewish quarter was called Jerusalem. The Jews engaged mainly in trade and in crafts. They were active in the trade of oils, wool and skins, and imported articles from other regions, like fabrics, metal utensils, and spices. Among the craftsmen were mainly cobblers, carpenters, tinsmiths, and silver and goldsmiths. Most of the Moknine Jews were of the lower middle class. The three prominent and rich families of the community were Ishai, Ouzan and Atiya. The first two engaged in trade and the third in the production and trade in jewelry. The Jewish silver and goldsmiths of Moknine developed jewels that were typical of their town.
There were two synagogues at Moknine - the old one, the small synagogue, that was built in the 19th century, and the big one, built after world war i. The two synagogues stood near each other, and the social activity of the community took place in the open space between the synagogues. The Jewish cemetery, which was surrounded by a natural fence of bushes, was the place of burial of the kabbalist Rabbi Pinhas Wazan (Ouzan), a native of Monastir. Pilgrims came to the grave twice a year. The community also had a hevra kaddisha and a Talmud Torah. The teachers in the Talmud Torah in the 1930s were Rabbi Shalom Ishai and Rabbi Rahamim Ro’eh.
In 1909 699 Jews were living at Moknine. In 1913 an “assistance and charity fund” was founded with the approval of the authorities. The managing committee of the fund acted also as the managing committee of the community. The committee consisted of representatives of the wealthy families. The revenue of the community came mostly from the pilgrims to the tomb of Rabbi Pinhas Wazan, as well as from donations, and the tax on kosher slaughter. In 1921 there were 595 Jews at Moknine, in 1926 - 616, and in 1931 - there were 635 Jews.
The first president of the managing committee was Haim Haniya, who occupied the post from 1913. In the period between the two world wars the president was Benjamin Ishai (1918-1931) and his son Joseph Ishai (1931-1945). After WW2 the president was Haim Haniya, the grandson of the first president. The rabbis in the period between the two wars were Rabbi Reuben Bitan, of the Djerba family of rabbis, and Rabbi Shemuel Tayib, formerly the rabbi of the nearby community of Mahdia. Both were also dayanim (religious judges), teachers of Talmud, and heads of the Talmud Torah. The rabbi of the community after the war was Rabbi Ezer Maimon.
Moknine kept contact with Eretz Israel already in the 19th century. Emissaries from Eretz Israel came to Moknine in 1862. In 1904 a delegation to Eretz Israel, headed by rabbi isaac bukobza, later the chief rabbi of the community of Tripoli in Libya, left Moknine with the object of paying homage to Rabbi Simon bar Yohai at his grave. About half of the delegation members stayed to live in the Holy Land.
In 1918 a Zionist society by the name of “Agudat Israel” was formed at Moknine. Its main object was the distribution of the Zionist shekel (membership in the Zionist organization) and the collection of money for the Jewish national fund. In 1933, following a visit to Moknine of one of the leaders of the world “Betar” movement, a local Betar group was organized. In 1934 the Zionist activity at Moknine was reduced because of violent demonstrations of Muslims against the Jews. The town’s authorities indeed prevented a pogrom, but the events aroused fears in the community. The managing committee put a stop to the activity of “Betar” and it ceased to function until after WW2. The number of Jews at Moknine in 1936 was 651, out of a total population of 14,205 inhabitants.
The Zionist activity was suspended almost completely in the years of world war ii (1939-1943) in North Africa. The pro-German Vichy government in Paris in the summer of 1940 did not directly affect the life of the Jews of Moknine, but caused considerable distress and fears among them because of the marked deterioration in the attitude of the Muslim neighbors. In the short period of the German occupation (November 1942- May 1943) the life of the community suffered a marked change. Moknine became a shelter for the Jews of Sousse and its vicinity, where forced labor and the wearing of the identifying yellow patch were imposed by the Germans. The heavy air raid of the allied forces on Sousse in December 1942 caused large numbers of Jews to escape from Sousse to the neighboring towns. As a result, the number of Jews at Moknine doubled and trebled - from 700 to 2,000. The managing committee was strengthened with representatives from the community of Sousse. Consequently the economic activity at Moknine rather flourished during the occupation and with it also the social and religious activity of the community.
During the first months of 1943 Jewish men of the ages 18-45 who were at Moknine at that time were drafted to forced labor for the Germans. The first group left Moknine in January 1943. They were accommodated in three Arab villages north of Sousse and were employed mostly in loading and unloading of goods and equipment at the port and the railway station of Sousse.
Zionist activity was resumed at the end of the hostilities. Emissaries came sto Moknine soon after the defeat of the Germans in North Africa. In august 1943 three representatives from Moknine took part in a summer camp of Jewish scouts that was held at Hamman-Lif in the north. At that time activity of the Betar movement at Moknine was also revived. The local leaders were Ramon Ro-eh, Rephael Ishai, and Moshe Ishai. Their activity continued until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Rephael Ishai initiated Hebrew courses at the Talmud Torah. In 1945 over 600 Jews were still living in Moknine. The majority of the Jews of Moknine emigrated to Israel, mostly via Europe, in the years 1948-1952. Six children from Moknine were among the victims of a crashed Dutch aircraft in 1949, on its way from Tunisia to Oslo with a group of youth aliyah. In 1956 only 125 Jews remained at Moknine.
Enfidha
(Place)Enfidha
النفيضة / Enfida, formerly known as Enfidaville; also Dar El Bey / النفيضة; An Nafidah
A town in the governorate of Sousse, Tunisia.
The Jewish community was established during the 1920s. From 49 people in 1926, the Jewish population grew to 75 people recorded in the census of 1936 and then reached 106 people in 1946. After this year the Jewish population started to decline with only 60 Jews living in Enfidha in 1950.
During the French protectorate of Tunisia, Enfidha, then called Enfidaville, became the chief settlement of an estate of 1,200 km2 that attracted Jewish merchants, particularly traders in textiles who later opened shops in town.
During the German-Italian occupation of Tunisia in WW II a forced work camp for Jews brought from other Tunisian communities was opened by the Italian army in the proximity of Enfidha. It operated from November 1942 through May 1943. It seems that the conditions in this camp were less difficult that in similar camps in Tunisia, moreover numerous Jews managed to escape. Following the advance of Allied forces from Algeria into Tunisia, during April-May 1943 Enfidha was the scene of the last battle in the North Africa front with the defeat of the Axis Powers.
After WW II, the Jews of Enfidha left the town and moved to Tunis and Sousse and eventually emigrated from Tunisia.