Constantine, Algeria 1916.
(The Oster Visual Documentation Center, Beit Hatfutsot,
courtesy of Ruth Shahar-Sibon, Israel)
Constantine
(Place)Constantine
In Arabic: قسنطينة = Kusantina, Qusantinah
Ancient Cirta, city in northeast of Algeria, capital of Constantine Province
HISTORY
Under Roman control, in 313 Constantine was named after the Roman Emperor. Latin writings give evidence of a Jewish colony there. Its surroundings seem to have been inhabited by Judaized Berbers.
In all likelihood most Jews left Constantine in the fifth century and settled in neighboring towns under the Vandals, among whom the Jews enjoyed a far greater amount of freedom than they did under Christian Rome.
It remained under the Byzantine control for most of the 6th and 7th centuries, until its conquest by the Arabs in 710.
The Arab conquest brought little change to Constantine. The Jews maintained their identity; their "Elder" (Zaken) led his followers to war like an Arab or Berber Sheikh.
The Jews of Algeria enjoyed peace from the time of the Arabian conquest until the middle of the twelfth century. Under the Almohad dynasty they were subjected to frequent persecutions.
According to the 15th century rabbis of Algeria, Constantine was one of the most important Jewish communities in Muslim North Africa. Among the many scholars that flourished in Constantine, a mention should be made of Maimun Najjar, author of Kunteres Minhagot, Joseph B. Minir, called Chasid, whose tomb is respected by Jews and Muslims and whose works, now lost, were quoted by Joseph Caro, Joseph B. David, Isaac Kagig (Kacic), and Samuel Atrani in the 15th century, as well as the poet Joseph Zimron and Moses Allouche in the 16th century, and Mas’ud Zerbib, author of Zera Emet (Leghorn, 1715) in the 18th century.
From 1509 until 1555 Constantine was in the hands of Spain. During this period the Jewish community suffered severely.
Under the control of the Turks, Constantine was governed by Beys, independent of Algiers. Under them, the conditions of the Constantine Jews were similar to that of Jews elsewhere in Algeria.
In the 18th century the community built its quarter. In 1818 the Turks from Algiers attacked Constantine; they pillaged, massacred, and carried off 17 young Jewish girls whom they brought to their commander. The girls were subsequently released.
At the time there were 5,000 Jews in Constantine.
After its capture by the French in 1837, many Jews left the city, and two years later the community numbered only 3,436.
By 1934 the community grew to 12,000.
On August 3rd-5th, 1934 the Muslim population, provoked by the propaganda of the French anti-Semites, attacked the Jews. Twenty- five were killed and dozens wounded. When the Jewish resistance was organized, the massacres stopped. French forces had not intervened, despite the appeals of Muslim leaders.
THE HOLOCAUST
In 1940, the Vichy Government severely persecuted this community despite its large number of heroes in the two World Wars.
POSTWAR
In the Late 1950’s, the Algerian Front De Liberation Nationale (F.L.N. / National Liberation Front) began. During this period there were many terrorist attacks. Grenades were often thrown into the Jewish quarter.
In 1962, when Algeria received independence, there was a massive exodus of the Jewish community, which then numbered 15,000-20,000. They moved mostly to France and Israel. The local Talmud Torah with its 800 students closed down in July of that year. The synagogues were turned into the general head- quarters of the F.L.N. By the end of the 1960s, only a few Jewish families remained in Constantine.