The Exodus of the Jews from Mascara: An Episode in the War between Abd el-Kader and France
Assan, Valérie
The Exodus of the Jews from Mascara: An Episode in the War between Abd el-Kader and France - 2005.
39
Various accounts of the capture of Mascara on December 7, 1835, provide us with information about the fate of Jews in Western Algeria during the wars between France and Abd el-Kader. The Jewish population of Mascara was first exposed to massacres and plundering by the troops of the routed emir. Then, fearing renewed violence and under the escort of the French army, the survivors were forced into real flight to Mostaganem and then to Oran. Two documents drawn up by the French administration on the occasion of the sharing out of aid sent to the victims by James de Rothschild make it possible to conduct a sociological study of the Jewish community of Mascara before and after the exodus. The study shows the breakdown and real impoverishment of the refugees as well as the necessity for them to adapt to the war. Some Jews, mostly men, chose to go back to Mascara, which was once again controlled by Abd el-Kader, at the risk of their lives. Their case shows that various factors must be taken into account if we are to explain the reasons for demographic stagnation in Algeria between 1830 and 1840 despite the immigration of Jews from neighboring countries.
The Exodus of the Jews from Mascara: An Episode in the War between Abd el-Kader and France - 2005.
39
Various accounts of the capture of Mascara on December 7, 1835, provide us with information about the fate of Jews in Western Algeria during the wars between France and Abd el-Kader. The Jewish population of Mascara was first exposed to massacres and plundering by the troops of the routed emir. Then, fearing renewed violence and under the escort of the French army, the survivors were forced into real flight to Mostaganem and then to Oran. Two documents drawn up by the French administration on the occasion of the sharing out of aid sent to the victims by James de Rothschild make it possible to conduct a sociological study of the Jewish community of Mascara before and after the exodus. The study shows the breakdown and real impoverishment of the refugees as well as the necessity for them to adapt to the war. Some Jews, mostly men, chose to go back to Mascara, which was once again controlled by Abd el-Kader, at the risk of their lives. Their case shows that various factors must be taken into account if we are to explain the reasons for demographic stagnation in Algeria between 1830 and 1840 despite the immigration of Jews from neighboring countries.
Réseaux sociaux