Daily humiliations, my Family Stories
Setif, Algeria
In Setif, for example, where the family of my maternal grandfather lived, Jews lived in constant fear of their Arab neighbors. It often happened that the Muslims raided the Jewish neighborhoods(especially on Friday nights, because they knew that that's when they were most vulnerable ), beat up the Jews who fell into their hands, and defecated in the very pans that were used for the Shabbat meal, just to humiliate them.
Or, as my grandfather often related, when an Muslim and a Jew crossed on a sidewalk, the Jew had to immediately get off the sidewalk to let the Arab pass first. The Arabs called their ass or their dog "Jew" when it did not want to obey or was behaving stupidly, or Jewish children would be repeatedly beaten by bands of Arab kids.These are just some examples of small daily humiliations to which Jews were subjected.
Or, as my grandfather often related, when an Muslim and a Jew crossed on a sidewalk, the Jew had to immediately get off the sidewalk to let the Arab pass first. The Arabs called their ass or their dog "Jew" when it did not want to obey or was behaving stupidly, or Jewish children would be repeatedly beaten by bands of Arab kids.These are just some examples of small daily humiliations to which Jews were subjected.
Ghardaïa
In other cities, such as Ghardaia, the birthplace of my paternal grandfather, the Jews had to live in an area reserved for them, the Mellah (the equivalent of a Ghetto) until 1882. They had the right to leave the Mellah after 1882, but remained clustered near the Jewish quarter. They retained their status as Dhimmis until the arrival of the French.
