French Jewish Traditions and Recipes
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    • Appetizers >
      • Chu-Chu-Kah (Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah)
      • Eggplant and Almond Salad (Rosh Hashanah)
      • Pomegranate Salad (Rosh Hashanah)
      • Fava Bean and Cumin Salad (Shabbat, Purim)
      • Bok'tof (Purim)
      • Artichoke and Fennel Salad (Passover)
      • Meat Bestels (Hanukkah)
      • Battered Vegetables with Olive Tapenade Dip (Hanukkah)
      • Frank Puff Pastries (Shabbat, Hanukkah)
      • Marinated Dried Peppers (Passover)
      • Ma-gee-nah (Passover Meat and Vegetable Terrine)
    • Entrées >
      • Algerian Couscous (Shabbat)
      • Spinach Cholent (Rosh Hashanah)
      • Almond and Honey Chicken (Rosh Hashanah)
      • Beef Burgundy (Shabbat, Hanukkah)
      • Homhe - Chicken and Chick Pea Gratin (Kippur)
      • Potato Gratin (Shavuot)
      • Butter and Raisin Couscous (Shavuot)
      • Chestnut Turkey Roast (Hanukkah, Sukkot) >
        • Mashed Celery and Potato
      • Choucroute -Alsacian Sauerkraut (Hanukkah, Sukkot)
      • Potato Lamb Roast (Passover)
      • Meatball and Sweet Pea Stew (Shabbat, Passover)
      • Sweet Potato Cholent (Rosh Hashanah)
      • Hen with Golden Eggs (Simha Torah)
    • Desserts >
      • Algerian Doughnuts (Chanukah)
      • Stuffed Dates (Purim)
      • Kirsch Mousse (Purim)
      • Nathalie's Apple Strudel (Rosh Hashanah)
      • Spice Cake (Rosh Hashanah)
      • Almond Cigars (Purim, Kippur)
      • Purim Cookies
      • Haman's Mustache (Purim)
      • Sferies (Passover)
      • Cheesecream Tart (Shavuot)
      • Passover Chocolate Cake
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Daily humiliations, my Family Stories


 

 

Picture
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.

 

Picture
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.

 

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