The silent disappearance of Jews from Algeria: French anti-racism in the face of antisemitism in Algeria during the decolonization

Abstract

ABSTRACT The decolonization of Algeria with the Algerian War of Independence from 1954–1962 placed Jews in a vulnerable situation. The purpose of this study is to expose to what extent and in what way the French anti-racist organizations paid attention to the situation of Algerian Jews before, during, and after decolonization. The focus is on the Paris-based Ligue internationale contre le racisme et l’antisémitisme (LICA, today LICRA), the Mouvement contre le racisme, l’antisémitisme et pour la paix (MRAP) and the Ligue des droits de l’homme (LDH). Although the organizations’ attitudes differed, ranging from ignorance to commitment to the Jews in Algeria, they did not support the Jews in Algeria with any important campaigns or demonstrations. While the LDH largely ignored the Jewish dilemma, the MRAP tended to portray the future of Jews in independent Algeria as bright. The LICA was the only one of the three anti-racist organizations that openly denounced antisemitism in the Arab world, while it never initiated any anti-racist campaigns in favour of Jews in Algeria. Overall, the article argues that the lack of significant anti-racist responses is characteristic of the silent disappearance of Jewish culture and society from Algeria.