Collecting and organising
Together we organise your existing material so that nothing stays “only in someone’s head”.
- Sorting names by branch (father’s side, mother’s side, etc.)
- Mapping key cities: Constantine, Oran, Tlemcen, Algiers, Fes, Marrakech, Tunis…
- Building a first family tree, even if it is still incomplete
Searching for ancestors – Algeria · Morocco · Tunisia
When possible, I help you look for additional traces of Jewish families from North Africa, before and after migration.
- Exploring different spellings of the same name (Hebrew, French, Arabic)
- Connecting with known families in specific towns and communities
- Trying to go one generation further when there is a realistic basis
Passing it on to the next generations
The final goal is to create material that your children and grandchildren can read and understand.
- Printable PDF family trees
- Timelines by generation or by city
- Short narrative documents telling the family story
Family names and lineages
A family name can point to a town, a trade or a rabbinic line. Each surname is a doorway into a specific story.
- Algeria: Berkane, Bénichou, Bensimon, Kalfon, Seror, Attal, Dahan, Belkaïd, Mamou, Touitou, Zerbib…
- Morocco: Abitbol, Ohayon, Benharroch, Amzallag, Elbaz, Benarroch, Benchetrit, Toledano, Biton…
- Tunisia: Borgel, Trabelsi, Scemama, Sfez, Fitoussi, Revah, Charbit, Haïm…
Behind these lists stand generations of craftsmen, rabbis, merchants, cantors and community leaders.
Mellahs, Jewish quarters and haras
Family memory is also tied to places: the alleys of a mellah, a small synagogue on the corner, the communal oven, the Jewish school.
- Mellahs in Fes, Meknes and Marrakech – dense, learned, deeply rooted Jewish quarters.
- Jewish neighbourhoods in Constantine, Oran and Algiers – between tradition and modern city life.
- The haras of Tunis and Djerba – houses, doors, and the Ghriba synagogue as a spiritual centre.
Adding these place names to a tree gives your family story a real landscape.
Rabbis, parnassim and key figures
In every town, Jewish life was structured around rabbis, dayanim, parnassim and local leaders who carried the community on their shoulders.
- Rabbis teaching, deciding cases, writing responsa.
- Parnassim managing charity funds, internal taxes and relations with the authorities.
- Families devoted to study, liturgical music, writing or medicine.
When your ancestors were part of that world, your tree becomes a small window onto the history of the community itself.
A story across countries
Tracing your roots often means encountering the wider history of North African Jewry:
- Ancient Jewish presence in North Africa, long before modern times.
- The arrival of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal into Morocco and the Maghreb.
- Colonial periods, emancipation, changing legal status.
- Migrations to France, Israel, Canada and many other countries.
Your family story becomes part of a much larger historical tapestry.
Each name added to the tree, each document found, each town identified sheds light on who we are.
Genealogy is a quiet act of love: honouring those who came before, connecting our lives today to their paths, and leaving something clear and meaningful for those who will come after us.