Les Juifs de Tunis (Tunisois)

Established in Tunis since antiquity, the Jews of the Tunisian capital formed an ancient and stratified urban community, distinguishing the Twansa (Toshavim, indigenous Jews of the Tunisian rite) from the Grana (Livornese in origin, come from Italy). Long concentrated in the hara, they were craftsmen, merchants, goldsmiths, and — under the French Protectorate — increasingly present in modern commerce and the liberal professions, many adopting the French language and culture. The community had synagogues, schools including those of the Alliance israélite universelle, and active rabbinical institutions. After Tunisian independence in 1956, and even more so after the tensions of the 1960s, the great majority emigrated to France, Israel, and North America.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World — Brill
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan