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Jews in North Africa During the Second World War

Documentary Film, Lectures and Panel Discussion (video recording available, in German, English and French)

A group of men with luggage and spades

Jews in North Africa During the Second World War; German Federal Archive/ Picture 183-J20382, photo: Lüken, December 1942

The German occupation of France in June 1940 brought the French colonial territories in North Africa under the administration of the collaborating Vichy regime. At this time, around 450,000 Jews lived in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, which was already under the control of the Axis Power of Italy.

The Jewish population was subjected to discriminatory racial laws; labor camps were built and deportations to European concentration camps undertaken. The theme day is devoted to the history of the Jews in North Africa between 1938 and 1945 and focuses on recollection and remembrance policy.

recording available

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The W. M. Blumenthal Academy is marked in green

Where

W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin (Opposite the Museum)

Recording of the lectures and panel discussion Jews in North Africa During the Second World War on 26 January 2017 (in German, English and French) – Part 1: Michel Abitbol (Jerusalem), Eric Salerno (Rom), Patrick Bernhard (Potsdam); Jewish Museum Berlin

Speakers:

Michel Abitbol (Jerusalem), Patrick Bernhard (Potsdam), Haim Saadoun (Jerusalem) and Eric Salerno (Rome).

German and English simultaneous translation will be available.

As a prelude to the day, the documentary A Matter of Time (Israel 2005) will be shown.

Sections from the exhibition The Third World in World War II by “recherche international e. V.” will be on display as part of the theme day.

Recording of the lectures and panel discussion Jews in North Africa During the Second World War on 26 January 2017 (in German, English and French) – Part 2: Haim Saadoun (Jerusalem) and Panel Discussion; Jewish Museum Berlin

Program

3 pm A Matter of Time
Documentary, Israel 2005, 104 (2 x 52) min.
Hebrew with English subtitles
Directed by: Serge Ankri and Marco Carmel
4.40 pm Break
5 pm Welcome
Rosa Fava, W. Michael Blumenthal Fellow Jewish Museum Berlin
5.15–7.15 pm
Historical Overview

Moderated by: Stefan Petke, historian, Berlin

5.15–5.55 pm Loin de la France occupée: Les juifs d'Afrique du Nord sous le régime de Vichy
Far from Occupied France: Jews in North Africa under Vichy Rule
Michel Abitbol, Hebrew University Jerusalem
5.55–6.35 pm Italian Colonialism in Libya, the Fascist Racial Laws, and the Confused and Confusing Treatment of the Jews
Eric Salerno, Huffington Post Italy, Rom
6.35–7.15 pm Nordafrika unter dem Hakenkreuz: Die deutsche Präsenz in Libyen und Tunesien während des Zweiten Weltkriegs
Patrick Bernhard, Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung, Potsdam
7.15 pm Break
7.45–9.30 pm
Historical Documentation and Forms of Remembrance

Moderated by: Rosa Fava, W. Michael Blumenthal Fellow Jewish Museum Berlin

7.45–8.30 pm Awareness and Challenges: The Documentation Center of North African Jewry during WWII
Haim Saadoun, Open University of Israel and Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem
8.30–9.30 pm Forms of Remembrance
Panel with Michel Abitbol, Patrick Bernhard, Haim Saadoun, and Eric Salerno

Invitation and Program (in German)

Download (PDF / 0.59 MB / in German / not accessible)

Where, when, what?

  • When 26 Jan 2017
  • Where W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
    Klaus Mangold Auditorium

    Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
    (Opposite the Museum)

    See location on map

Video Recordings: Watch Past Museum Events (70)

Academy Programs: Past Events for You to Listen To and Watch 2011–2019 (40)

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