Country: Tunisia

Group: Jewish

Date Finalized: 4/14/21

Team: Samantha Bradford (lead), Arisha Khan, Ann Thomas, Abi Pentecost

Content Warning: forced displacement, assault, religious persecution

Approximate Time Period: 1948-present

There is sufficient evidence to show that Jewish people living in Tunisia have been forced away from their homes to escape ethnic-based persecution, violence, and discrimination.

When the French Protectorate of Tunisia fell under occupation by Nazi Germany in 1940, discriminatory legislation reduced the citizenship status of Jews, led to impoverishment of the community, and renewed anti-Semitic sentiments. Many Tunisian Jews emigrated to France and Israel following the creation of Israel in 1948, independence in 1956, and the Arab-Israeli war in 1967 (Quattrini, 2018). Following Tunisia’s independence in 1956, an effort towards Arabization and state control of religion undermined the French-speaking, Jewish identity (Quattrini, 2018). In the following years, the Tunisian government abolished the Jewish Community Council and destroyed Jewish cultural centers, including ancient synagogues, cemeteries, and homes, for urban renewal (Jewish Virtual Library, 2020). Violent clashes led to the departure of 25,000 Jews to France following the Bizerte affair in July 1961. The Tunisian military accused Jews of fighting against them with the French (Trigano, 2010). Hostilities worsened following the Six-Day War, the third of the Arab-Israeli wars, when Arab mobs targeted Jewish neighborhoods, assaulted residents, and burned synagogues (Boundless World History, 2018). The majority of Tunisian Jews emigrated during the late 1900s, lowering their population from approximately 100,000 in 1948 to only 1,500 to 2,000 today (Minority Rights Group, 2020).

The quality of data is assessed at a 2 because of limitations in the number of credible sources and peer reviewed journals. Several sources are authored by organizations affiliated with Judaism and the Israeli government, creating the potential for bias. Additionally, the accuracy of population data is complicated because of the general  reluctance of religious minorities in Tunisia to identify themselves as minorities (Quattrini, 2018).

Sources

  1. Boundless World History. (2018). History of Western Civilization II: The Six-Day War. Lumen Learning. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc- worldhistory2/chapter/the-six-day-war/
  2. Jewish Virtual Library. (2020). Jews in Islamic Countries: Tunisia. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved March 28, 2021 from https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews- of-tunisia
  3. Minorities and indigenous peoples in Tunisia: Jews. (2020, October). Retrieved March 27, 2021 from https://minorityrights.org/minorities/jews-10/
  4. Trigano, S. (2010, November 04). The Expulsion of the Jews from Muslim Countries, 1920-1970: A History of Ongoing Cruelty and Discrimination. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  5. Quattrini, S. (2018). Identity and Citizenship in Tunisia: The Situation of Minorities after the 2011 Revolution. Minority Rights Group International (MRGI) Report. Retrieved March 27, 2021.