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BISMUT Origin of surname

BISMUT, BISMUTH, BESCHMOUT

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from an occupation, profession or trade (also connected with raw material, finished product or implements associated with that trade).

Bismut is derived from the Arabic word for the "dry bread and other provisions" carried by pilgrims on their way to Mecca. It may have been assumed by a person who prepared these foods for the travelers. In some cases it is a nickname for a traveler. Bismuth is recorded as a Jewish family name in the 18th century, with Joseph Bismuth from Tunis (died 1775), a financial intendant (holder of a public administrative office); in the 19th century the name is recorded on a 'ketubbah' from Tunis dated June 18, 1869, of Shalom, son of Saadani Bismuth and his wife Judica, daughter of Joseph Darmon.

Distinguished 20th century bearers of the family name Bismouth include the Tunisian born artist Maurice Bismouth (1891-1965), whose paintings depict scenes of Jewish life, synagogues and rabbis.

Al-Ariana

Ariana, L'Ariana, Aryanah أريانة‎

A town in north-east Tunisia, approximately 4 km north of the capital, Tunis

Early History 17th-18th Century

Although there is archaeological evidence from the site in Roman times, it was only during the 17th century that the first Jewish settlers arrived in Ariana. They were among the Spanish Jews, who, together with Moslems, were fleeing from Catholic Spain and the Inquisition. Many of these Jewish refugees had reached Algeria as their first destination, and later moved east to Tunisia.

The first evidence of a Jewish name from Algiers is the Journo family, who arrived in Ariana during the 18th century, and found employment as shoemakers and small traders. They were followed later by more prosperous families, including Sitbon, Bismut, Bijawi and Qusqas, but the community numbered less than 100 persons at this time.  Local tradition has it that the synagogue was built during the 18th century, and became the focus around which the community began to grow. The synagogue was given the name of El-Ghriba, after the ancient and venerated synagogue on the island of Djerba.

 

19th Century – World War II (1939)

The year 1857 constituted a landmark for the Jews of Tunisia, as the Bey (ruler and governor) granted equal rights and religious freedom to all citizens, so that Jews could now reside legally in Ariana. Consequently, the community increased in numbers and developed as a separate entity from the Jews of the capital Tunis. In 1881 the Bey was forced by the French conquering forces to sign a treaty granting France a protectorate over the whole country.

Although most of the Jewish institutions including schools, bet din (religious court) and cemetery, were located in Tunis, the Jewish population of Ariana grew considerably, from 153 in 1909 to a total of 1,372 in 1921, as during the course of World War I many Jews came to Tunisia and a considerable number settled in Ariana.  

In 1912 a second synagogue the Soraya was built in a new quarter of Ariana, followed by a third which was located on the ground floor of the home of a wealthy merchant, Gaston Zeitun. This synagogue housed a beit midrash (study house) and Talmud torah for children.  In 1910 an old age home was built in the town, financed by the Jews of Tunis, which strengthened the connections between Ariana and the capital city. Another important institution was a hospital for the prevention of tuberculosis, constructed in the hill country close to Ariana whose clean air was considered suitable for the patients suffering from the disease. It was the only institute of its kind in Tunisia.

Further development in Ariana included the establishment of the first modern Talmud torah in the country in 1923, Kutab Kisrawi, named for Yehoshua Kisrawi who financed the building. The school had 6 classes, starting from kindergarten, and became the social and religious center of the community. The principal, Rabbi Avraham Samaja, ran the school from the day it was founded until 1967.  It was the first school in Tunisia where modern Hebrew was taught in addition to religious studies.

The 1920s and 1930s saw the birth and development of Zionist activity in Ariana. The JNF (Jewish National Fund) opened an official branch which was activated by the local committee in 1928. In 1930 the French authorities forbade the committee to raise money at the Purim event for fear of arousing Arab opposition. The Beitar movement opened a branch in 1932, and Hashomer Hatzair in the following year. During this period Arab nationalism became stronger with the organization of the political party Destour, which propagated hostility towards the Jews of Ariana. The community suffered many outbursts of Arab violence which were quelled by the French police.

 By 1931 the size of the Ariana community had reached 2,637 persons.   This increase in numbers included many families from the Jewish quarter of Tunis whose economic situation led them to find better living conditions than those in the congested city. The suburban atmosphere of Ariana, which had become popular as a summer resort, together with proximity and accessibility to Tunis, were all factors contributing to its popularity with the more prosperous members of the Jewish community. Ariana's role as a summer resort also provided the population with places of employment.

 

WWII 1939-1945

Tunisia remained under French rule after the Franco-German armistice of 1940, when France fell under Nazi control.  German troops entered Tunisia in November 1942 as part of the German campaign in North Africa. Soon after the army divisions took over the town of Ariana, occupying two Jewish houses to serve as offices and living quarters for the soldiers.  They confiscated furniture and clothing and later ordered the population to hand over their radios to the German administration to prevent people from listening to Allied broadcasts. Food was rationed.

Jews were ordered to serve as forced laborers. The men were sent to two work camps, one group to the infamous camp at Bizerta, another group was employed in a local camp during the day and were permitted to go home at night. The Ariana camp was active from November 14, 1942 until the Allied conquest in May 1943.  During this 6 month period Ariana suffered two Allied bombing raids, the first of which occurred on 13th December 1942. The Nazis arrested an 18 year old yeshiva student on charges of aid to the Allied bombers by signaling from the ground. He was sentenced to death by a firing squad, and his execution symbolized the atrocities of the Nazis against the Jews of Tunisia.

The Allied forces were warmly welcomed by the Jewish population of Ariana in May 1943, as they helped return property that had been confiscated by the Nazis. The British and American troops also provided some monetary support to buy food.

 

Post WWII until 1967

 After the war life returned to normal. The Jewish population at this time totaled over 3,000. The Kisrawi school re-opened, and in 1950 a new Ort School was opened in Ariana by Alliance Israelite Universelle. The first 300 pupils were boys. The following year the Ort school moved into new premises and the old building was turned into a sewing school for girls. Later adult classes were added; French, modern spoken Hebrew, mathematics, electricity, mechanics and engraving. In 1949 a medical clinic was opened in the home of Gaston Zeitun, in order to treat sick children, pregnant women and babies.

Between 1946 and 1956 the Jews of Ariana were employed in various public positions and were fully integrated into the economic life of the town. After Israel was established in 1948 considerable numbers of Jews left for Israel, and with Tunisian independence in 1956, emigration of Jews to Israel and France reduced their numbers to 2,678. A small number of Jews remained in Ariana until 1961 when the lives of a group of Jews from Bizerta were in danger from the local Arabs, and were secretly smuggled to safety by the French navy. By 1967 the Jewish population had dwindled to a small number and in 1980 the Soraya synagogue was demolished by the local authorities. No Jews remain there today.

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BISMUT Origin of surname
BISMUT, BISMUTH, BESCHMOUT

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from an occupation, profession or trade (also connected with raw material, finished product or implements associated with that trade).

Bismut is derived from the Arabic word for the "dry bread and other provisions" carried by pilgrims on their way to Mecca. It may have been assumed by a person who prepared these foods for the travelers. In some cases it is a nickname for a traveler. Bismuth is recorded as a Jewish family name in the 18th century, with Joseph Bismuth from Tunis (died 1775), a financial intendant (holder of a public administrative office); in the 19th century the name is recorded on a 'ketubbah' from Tunis dated June 18, 1869, of Shalom, son of Saadani Bismuth and his wife Judica, daughter of Joseph Darmon.

Distinguished 20th century bearers of the family name Bismouth include the Tunisian born artist Maurice Bismouth (1891-1965), whose paintings depict scenes of Jewish life, synagogues and rabbis.
Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People

Ariana

Al-Ariana

Ariana, L'Ariana, Aryanah أريانة‎

A town in north-east Tunisia, approximately 4 km north of the capital, Tunis

Early History 17th-18th Century

Although there is archaeological evidence from the site in Roman times, it was only during the 17th century that the first Jewish settlers arrived in Ariana. They were among the Spanish Jews, who, together with Moslems, were fleeing from Catholic Spain and the Inquisition. Many of these Jewish refugees had reached Algeria as their first destination, and later moved east to Tunisia.

The first evidence of a Jewish name from Algiers is the Journo family, who arrived in Ariana during the 18th century, and found employment as shoemakers and small traders. They were followed later by more prosperous families, including Sitbon, Bismut, Bijawi and Qusqas, but the community numbered less than 100 persons at this time.  Local tradition has it that the synagogue was built during the 18th century, and became the focus around which the community began to grow. The synagogue was given the name of El-Ghriba, after the ancient and venerated synagogue on the island of Djerba.

 

19th Century – World War II (1939)

The year 1857 constituted a landmark for the Jews of Tunisia, as the Bey (ruler and governor) granted equal rights and religious freedom to all citizens, so that Jews could now reside legally in Ariana. Consequently, the community increased in numbers and developed as a separate entity from the Jews of the capital Tunis. In 1881 the Bey was forced by the French conquering forces to sign a treaty granting France a protectorate over the whole country.

Although most of the Jewish institutions including schools, bet din (religious court) and cemetery, were located in Tunis, the Jewish population of Ariana grew considerably, from 153 in 1909 to a total of 1,372 in 1921, as during the course of World War I many Jews came to Tunisia and a considerable number settled in Ariana.  

In 1912 a second synagogue the Soraya was built in a new quarter of Ariana, followed by a third which was located on the ground floor of the home of a wealthy merchant, Gaston Zeitun. This synagogue housed a beit midrash (study house) and Talmud torah for children.  In 1910 an old age home was built in the town, financed by the Jews of Tunis, which strengthened the connections between Ariana and the capital city. Another important institution was a hospital for the prevention of tuberculosis, constructed in the hill country close to Ariana whose clean air was considered suitable for the patients suffering from the disease. It was the only institute of its kind in Tunisia.

Further development in Ariana included the establishment of the first modern Talmud torah in the country in 1923, Kutab Kisrawi, named for Yehoshua Kisrawi who financed the building. The school had 6 classes, starting from kindergarten, and became the social and religious center of the community. The principal, Rabbi Avraham Samaja, ran the school from the day it was founded until 1967.  It was the first school in Tunisia where modern Hebrew was taught in addition to religious studies.

The 1920s and 1930s saw the birth and development of Zionist activity in Ariana. The JNF (Jewish National Fund) opened an official branch which was activated by the local committee in 1928. In 1930 the French authorities forbade the committee to raise money at the Purim event for fear of arousing Arab opposition. The Beitar movement opened a branch in 1932, and Hashomer Hatzair in the following year. During this period Arab nationalism became stronger with the organization of the political party Destour, which propagated hostility towards the Jews of Ariana. The community suffered many outbursts of Arab violence which were quelled by the French police.

 By 1931 the size of the Ariana community had reached 2,637 persons.   This increase in numbers included many families from the Jewish quarter of Tunis whose economic situation led them to find better living conditions than those in the congested city. The suburban atmosphere of Ariana, which had become popular as a summer resort, together with proximity and accessibility to Tunis, were all factors contributing to its popularity with the more prosperous members of the Jewish community. Ariana's role as a summer resort also provided the population with places of employment.

 

WWII 1939-1945

Tunisia remained under French rule after the Franco-German armistice of 1940, when France fell under Nazi control.  German troops entered Tunisia in November 1942 as part of the German campaign in North Africa. Soon after the army divisions took over the town of Ariana, occupying two Jewish houses to serve as offices and living quarters for the soldiers.  They confiscated furniture and clothing and later ordered the population to hand over their radios to the German administration to prevent people from listening to Allied broadcasts. Food was rationed.

Jews were ordered to serve as forced laborers. The men were sent to two work camps, one group to the infamous camp at Bizerta, another group was employed in a local camp during the day and were permitted to go home at night. The Ariana camp was active from November 14, 1942 until the Allied conquest in May 1943.  During this 6 month period Ariana suffered two Allied bombing raids, the first of which occurred on 13th December 1942. The Nazis arrested an 18 year old yeshiva student on charges of aid to the Allied bombers by signaling from the ground. He was sentenced to death by a firing squad, and his execution symbolized the atrocities of the Nazis against the Jews of Tunisia.

The Allied forces were warmly welcomed by the Jewish population of Ariana in May 1943, as they helped return property that had been confiscated by the Nazis. The British and American troops also provided some monetary support to buy food.

 

Post WWII until 1967

 After the war life returned to normal. The Jewish population at this time totaled over 3,000. The Kisrawi school re-opened, and in 1950 a new Ort School was opened in Ariana by Alliance Israelite Universelle. The first 300 pupils were boys. The following year the Ort school moved into new premises and the old building was turned into a sewing school for girls. Later adult classes were added; French, modern spoken Hebrew, mathematics, electricity, mechanics and engraving. In 1949 a medical clinic was opened in the home of Gaston Zeitun, in order to treat sick children, pregnant women and babies.

Between 1946 and 1956 the Jews of Ariana were employed in various public positions and were fully integrated into the economic life of the town. After Israel was established in 1948 considerable numbers of Jews left for Israel, and with Tunisian independence in 1956, emigration of Jews to Israel and France reduced their numbers to 2,678. A small number of Jews remained in Ariana until 1961 when the lives of a group of Jews from Bizerta were in danger from the local Arabs, and were secretly smuggled to safety by the French navy. By 1967 the Jewish population had dwindled to a small number and in 1980 the Soraya synagogue was demolished by the local authorities. No Jews remain there today.