The Holocaust and Jewish Communities in Wartime North Africa (Facing History & Ourselves)

Most Holocaust curricula focus on Europe, but the war and Nazi era also reached the large Jewish communities of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Under Vichy French, Italian, and German rule, North African Jews faced antisemitic laws, the loss of citizenship and livelihoods, forced labor, internment camps, and, in Tunisia, German occupation. Some Libyan Jews were deported to camps in Europe. This three lesson unit from Facing History & Ourselves helps students understand how colonialism and fascism shaped these experiences and how individuals and communities responded.

Questions Students Explore

1. What was Jewish life like in North Africa before the Second World War?
2. How did colonial power structures and antisemitic laws affect North African Jews during the war?
3. How did people resist, survive, and respond in the camps and communities of North Africa?

The Three Lessons

1. Pre-War Jewish Life in North Africa: students analyze images, film, and readings about the diversity of Jewish life before the war.
2. Responses to Rising Antisemitism and Antisemitic Legislation in North Africa: students examine how European colonial rule shaped the fate of North African Jews and how people responded.
3. The Holocaust and North Africa: Resistance in the Camps: students explore experiences of internment and forced labor and acts of resistance.

At a Glance

Grade level: Grades 9 to 12
Time: Three lessons, two 50 minute class periods each
Source: Facing History & Ourselves

Start with Lesson 1 on Facing History  Opens on facinghistory.org