ABSTRACTS
Roland Fellous, Esther Fellous, Marc Fellous
Rabbis in the Tunis Borgel Cemetery
Rabbis in the Borgel cemetery are not mere names on tombstones. The role of these scholars sheds light on the history of Tunisian Jews and their traditions, from the 18th century to current times. Epitaphs continue to survive all attempts to erase the signs of Jewish presence in Tunisia. In this paper, the reader will learn of important legends and wonderful tales surrounding the life of these rabbis which greatly contribute to maintaining them as the objects of great devotion.
Pierre-André Meyer
Captain Jacques (Gustave) Meyer and his relatives (Family memories)
On the 150th anniversary of the Franco-German war (1870-1871), the author has reopened a box of family archives concerning his Great Grand Father, Jacques (Gustave) Meyer (1821-1897) and his family. Born in Colmar, he enlisted at age 20 in the French military and rose to the rank of Captain. In 1870, he and his brother Benjamin (1829-1913), also an officer, were part of Marshall Bazaine’s army under siege in Metz. Upon the fall of the city, they were taken prisoners and led to Coblenz into captivity, leaving family and friends behind to worry. A correspondence follows involving parents and friends in Metz, Belfort and Paris, three towns at the forefront of this now forgotten war. Beyond this event, the paper covers the life of a Jewish Family from Alsace who chose to remain French after 1872.
Emmanuel Fitoussi
Edouard Dana, the last year of his life unveiled
Nazi occupation of Tunisia ended after 6 months. There were, therefore, few deportations. That of Edouard Dana draws attention. Why and under what circumstances was this young, apparently ordinary, family man arrested, flown to Europe before being shot in Warsaw? Based on Gestapo and allied forces archives as well as family testimonies, the author has investigated his great uncle’s deportation. A poorly known facet of Tunisian Jews history during WWII is thus unveiled.
Rémy Chicheportiche
Sasportas of Amsterdam and Sasportas of Bordeaux: The same family?
Two European branches of the Sasportas family, that of Amsterdam and that of Bordeaux, could, at long last, be shown to be related : new information as well as new parallels have enabled the author to complement rabbi Yaaqov Sasportas’ descendance and shed light on the scattering of his family in Europe and in the Americas during the 18th century.