Judaism in Algeria
Synagogue of Oran
Judaism in Algeria was orthodox, and people in general were very religious, but much more relaxed than in Europe. First of all, there weren’t any levels of religiousness, like in Europe where some Jews, usually in the villages were very observant, while the Jews in the cities were much more assimilated. Because of their Dhimmis statute, Jews usually couldn't hope to climb the social ladder in Algeria, and no Jew would ever have considered converting to Islam in order to do so. If they became rich, they just became rich Jews.
Second of all, Judaism as it was practiced wasn’t felt like a burden, but more like a way of life. Jews tended to live in the same neighborhoods, and did everything together. Boys went to Talmud Torah (Hebrew School) at a very young age, and studied prayers and Torah. When they reached adulthood, they all knew the Jewish liturgy by heart. Women didn’t go to Hebrew school, nor were they asked to attend Services. It was not really discouraged; it was just not usually done, except for important holidays. Few women had the time or the interest to attend a Shabbat service, but when the men walked home, a wonderful Shabbat meal was ready, and this is what Algerian women felt their role of transmitting their Jewish heritage to be. This may seem outrageously sexist nowadays, but women in Algeria and in most Sephardic countries were not interested in having the same rights as men, because they thought that each gender had a different role to play in transmitting their faith to their children. They developed their own recipes which were often different from one city to another. This explains why Algerian-Jewish cuisine is so rich and diverse. Each holiday became a joyous occasion, with fabulous dishes to look forward to.
Also, Algerian Judaism wasn’t as strict in its ruling as its European counterparts: it was considered for example, that since poultry weren’t mammals, they couldn’t produce milk, and that therefore the rule against not eating an animal in their mother’s milk didn’t apply. It wasn’t until Algerian Jews fled to France in 1962 that they started to obey the rule. It doesn’t mean that people weren’t observant, just that the rules were a little more relaxed.
Second of all, Judaism as it was practiced wasn’t felt like a burden, but more like a way of life. Jews tended to live in the same neighborhoods, and did everything together. Boys went to Talmud Torah (Hebrew School) at a very young age, and studied prayers and Torah. When they reached adulthood, they all knew the Jewish liturgy by heart. Women didn’t go to Hebrew school, nor were they asked to attend Services. It was not really discouraged; it was just not usually done, except for important holidays. Few women had the time or the interest to attend a Shabbat service, but when the men walked home, a wonderful Shabbat meal was ready, and this is what Algerian women felt their role of transmitting their Jewish heritage to be. This may seem outrageously sexist nowadays, but women in Algeria and in most Sephardic countries were not interested in having the same rights as men, because they thought that each gender had a different role to play in transmitting their faith to their children. They developed their own recipes which were often different from one city to another. This explains why Algerian-Jewish cuisine is so rich and diverse. Each holiday became a joyous occasion, with fabulous dishes to look forward to.
Also, Algerian Judaism wasn’t as strict in its ruling as its European counterparts: it was considered for example, that since poultry weren’t mammals, they couldn’t produce milk, and that therefore the rule against not eating an animal in their mother’s milk didn’t apply. It wasn’t until Algerian Jews fled to France in 1962 that they started to obey the rule. It doesn’t mean that people weren’t observant, just that the rules were a little more relaxed.